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The night was far colder than what Reiner was used to in LA. He rubbed his arms furiously, trying to get the chill out of them. At least the inside of the bar was warm. And crowded. Sweaty pairs overflowed from the dance floor, tables were surrounded by groups of people, and the bar was packed.
"Looks like I made a good pick."
A teasing grin, a few winks, and a various polite words got him through the crowd and to one of the bartenders. The woman had deep purple hair, piercings through pretty much everything he could see (and likely some he couldn't), and a pair of tired eyes behind a pair of cat-eye glasses. She flashed him a pleasant but forced smile as she dropped a cocktail napkin onto the wood surface.
"Vodka drinks are on special. What'll it be?" she asked just loud enough to be heard over the music.
"You look like you know what to mix. Dealer's choice," he replied, leaning against the bar.
One of the pierced eyebrows quirked up and the smile she gave was downright devilish. Maybe giving her free rein hadn't been the best choice. Oh well, Reiner thought, giving a look around the room. No one immediately stood out, but it was still early.
Blocking his view, the bartender diligently mixed his drink, presenting it with a flourish when she was done. A martini glass filled with something pink, raspberries rolling along the bottom. Pretty much the opposite of what someone would expect him to be holding with his tough appearance. Reiner chuckled, dropping a bill into her hand and asked, "So what is this?"
"A Bloody Viking's Testicle. Enjoy!"
Reiner cackled, clapping loudly and nodding his head. He had definitely found a feisty one. Waving off the change, he pulled himself together enough to tap a finger on a napkin right next to his drink. "Pretty sure these come in pairs."
That made her laugh and she set to work mixing up a second. Picking up the glass, he took a sip, enjoying the sharp bite of cranberry juice covering what was a fairly strong mix. One of the best ways to ensure a good night: make nice with the bartender, Reiner thought. The other...
His eyes drifted around the room. Some potential prospects stood out in the mix. Hopefully he could find someone fun among them.
The cocktail was drained probably a little more quickly than it should have been. Having a second one waiting didn't help matters. It didn't last long either. Reiner worked his way around, sharing flirty banter with a few guys, accepting a few drinks, and joining the press of bodies on the dance floor for his favorite songs.
Reiner found a relatively quiet corner and flopped into a chair, taking a moment to catch his breath and cool down. "Fucking Jean. You should have come out and at least been my wingman. Or let Bert come," he muttered, gulping down a glass of water. "Damn Canadians and their hockey."
A nearby table burst into uproarious laughter when the song changed. Reiner raised an eyebrow as a very tall brunette woman started to sing along with "Timber" at the top of her lungs, arms thrown around two much shorter companions.
Might be a group worth introducing myself to, he thought. But first, time to break the seal.
Shockingly clean was about the only way to describe the restrooms. And mercifully not as crowded as the rest of the bar. If anything, it was practically empty as he trudged in, the alcohol giving him a nice fuzzy feeling. Reiner barely registered the door opening and someone coming to stand near him.
"Whoa! You're huge!"
Shocked, Reiner whipped his head around fast enough to cause him to wobble on his feet. He managed to keep from making a mess, but was totally lost on what to do. The guy next to him was standing gape-mouthed, his eyes not looking downward, but at Reiner's chest and shoulders.
"Not really sure what to say to that," Reiner stated plainly. He tucked himself back into his jeans, the motion drawing a pair of hazel eyes downward for a split second before snapping back up.
Probably realizing what he had blurted out was a prime example of easily misinterpreted phrases, the guy swore loudly and started rubbing the rough stubble of his buzzcut. "You're built. Is all. Really strong. Muscular. And tall. Fuck." Nearly every part of his head darkened in embarrassment. It was cute.
Reiner just laughed and walked over to the sinks. He called back to the guy, "You caught me off-guard is all, but it's no biggie."
"I feel like a complete dumbass. That sounded like the worst pickup line ever."
"Oh trust me. I've heard shittier."
"Really? Gimme an example. I need something to make me feel a bit better about this," Buzzcut asked as he joined Reiner in front of the mirror.
"Hmm," Reiner mused, scratching at his chin, "Worst I can think of would probably be something like 'My dick just died, can I bury it in your ass?' Morbid and creepifying. Or maybe, 'I just shit my pants, can I get in yours?' I appreciate a good shit joke like the next guy, but that's disturbing."
The guy practically started crying from laughing too hard. Reiner chuckled at the sight, leaning against the counter while he waited for him to take a breath. While he may not have been Reiner's normal type, something was definitely interesting about Buzzcut.
Target selected.
Handing over a paper towel, Reiner grinned. "Care to give a pickup line another shot?"
"Nah," he replied, clicking his tongue against his teeth. "I'm utter shit at those. But can I buy you a drink? To make up for earlier, or something."
Reiner nodded and they exited the bathroom. Surprisingly, Buzzcut - Connie was his name - had been part of the group that he'd noticed earlier. Introductions went around and Reiner made himself cozy right next to his new friend.
Over the course of the night, Reiner discovered a few things.
Connie rarely talked himself up. Much of what Reiner learned about the other man was through his two close friends in the group, Krista (aka Tiny Princess) and Ymir (aka Freckled Singing Giant), who enjoyed making Connie blush and shush them.
Krista was the peacemaker between Ymir and Connie. Whenever she stepped away, the pair of them started antagonizing one another. Said antagonism also led to rapidly escalating one-upmanship (or one-upwomanship). When it devolved into make-out wars, Reiner was more than happy to assist.
Finally, while he might be a half-foot shorter, Connie was solid and strong. When he climbs onto a lap, it becomes especially noticeable. And the buzzcut? Extremely soft when stroked with the grain. A realization that was quickly interrupted by a pitcher of water being dumped on their heads by a certain purple-haired bartender.
Both men looked up, sputtering and shaking the water out of their eyes. Ymir and Krista were laughing loudly, having stopped their display before incurring the wrath of the staff.
"Those types of testicles are to be enjoyed OUTSIDE of the bar. Thank you much, last call, get the fuck out," she scolded them, stacking their empty glasses from the table onto a tray with the pitcher.
Reiner was still in shock after she walked off. Connie, on the other hand, had regained enough sense to climb off Reiner's lap and started shooting killer stares at his hysterical friends.
"Damn, I thought I was on her good side too," Reiner muttered, grabbing a few napkins and drying off his face. His shirt was soaked through and it was probably cold as fuck outside now.
"You are. I've seen her do far worse," Krista said, pulling on her coat. "How are you getting home, sweetie? You can't go out like that."
Ruffling a hand through his hair and sending water flying, Reiner sighed. "I'd planned to take the El, but that's looking like a bad idea. Hopefully I can find a taxi this late."
"We'll give you a lift," Ymir told him, slapping a hand hard on his shoulder and making it sting through the wet material. She looked a little too happy about the offer, a massive grin plastered across her face.
"Gee thanks."
Frenetic movements behind him caught the edge of his view and Reiner turned to look at Connie, who stopped gesturing and awkwardly dropped his hands onto the table. He raised an eyebrow at the other man, a silent question.
"It's fine, Reiner. We'll drive you," Connie said.
Suspicious, but not one to turn down a free ride, Reiner got up and left with the trio of friends.
---
"Wait... wait... WHAT?! You have got to be completely fucking shitting me, god-fucking-damnit, REINER!"
Jean launched into further angry, drunken swearing in a mix of French and English. Bertl just stared at the two of them blearily from the couch, where the yelling had just woke him up. Their cursing friend threw his arms up with an exasperated groan before jabbing a finger (the middle one) in Reiner's direction.
"This shit-for-brains brought some random pickup back to this damn apartment! MY place, if I can fucking remind you, is not some trashy hotel!"
Reiner winced and held up his hands, trying to give off the most non-confrontational vibes that he could muster. "It's not like that Jean. His friends just took off when he jumped out after me to get my number. One of 'em probably thought it was funny... Actually, even knowing her for a short time, I'm positive she does."
“Why is that my problem?!” Jean asked. “You know how I feel about unknown people coming into my spaces!”
“It’s 'cause, under this foul-mouthed and prickly asshole exterior is a nice guy.” Reiner told him as he walked up to his friend, ruffling the hair that was sticking up oddly, probably from falling asleep in a weird position on the couch.
The blonde grumbled and yanked his head away. “Fuck off.”
“Come on. It’s the middle of the night. He’s already here and just out in the hall. No sense making him find a taxi and hotel at this hour.”
“Tough.”
“Have a heart, Jean.”
“Take some money from my wallet. Should be enough to cover things.”
Reiner wracked his brain for anything he could offer, any incentive that could act as the final tipping point against Jean's self-interest. He came up disappointingly empty. Swallowing any remaining pride, he dropped to his knees in front of his friend, eyes down. "I will owe you a massive favor. Please man. Don't make me have to be an ass here. I really like him and he seems like a good guy."
Jean's hand slapped hard against the top of his skull. "Get up, you dumbass. Pretty sure I'm not the guy you want to do that in front of right now. I'm too fucking tempted to put my foot against your balls. Painfully and swiftly."
A pair of bare feet turned and walked away. Reiner looked up to see Jean's back, arms up and looped over his head. His friend glanced back, glaring for a moment before letting out a tired sigh. "Three favors, and one of which is running interference on your damn cousin when she gets like she is right now."
"Agreed," Reiner replied instantly.
"Bert, you're witness."
An unintelligible confirmation grunt came from the couch.
Jean started to head to his room, but stopped. Without turning, he called back, "Keep it the fuck down. It's pretty soundproof in here, but I don't need to hear that shit when I haven't been laid in over a fucking month. He's out of here before I wake up, or there's hell to pay."
"Got it."
The loud slam of a door a few seconds later punctuated his friend’s threat, and his displeasure. A little smile snuck onto Reiner’s face. Jean was a lot of bark and bluster, but in the end, he really was a good guy. Reiner just hoped he was really right about Connie too.
Poking his head out into the hall, Reiner didn’t see the other man at first. Muttered swearing from lower down drew his eyes to the floor. Connie was sitting pressed against the wall, knees propped in front of him, and glaring at his cell phone. “I really hate Ymir,” he said, not looking up. “Your friend probably said no, right? I can’t imagine the kind of person who could live in a place like this agreeing to let in some stranger.”
Reiner reached down to give the buzzed head an affectionate rub. “Nah, he said it was ok. Told him you were good people, so you better not make a liar out of me.”
---
The light from the city surrounding the high-rise filtered into the massive windows. Reiner had left the curtains open earlier. The only extra light in the room came from a small lamp on the dresser. Even that was barely enough to see the outlines of the furniture. Neither of them made a move to remedy the low light.
Connie drifted to the windows, looking out over the skyline with awe. Reiner tugged off his boots, watching him take in the view. The other man looked a little overwhelmed, but shook it off within a few seconds, flying across the room.
"Whoa! This is insane!" Connie whooped as he jumped onto the oversized bed. Shoes flew off his flailing legs and dropped with a thunk onto the floor. Reiner grinned as he watched, closing the door behind him. "I could kinda get to liking your friend's place a bit too much."
Slipping out of his jacket, Reiner tossed it onto a chair. "He'd probably kill me before he let that happen."
Propped up on the (unnecessarily big) mound of pillows, Connie frowned and squirmed around to like a puppy trying to get comfortable. "Then I guess we have to wring all the enjoyment out of the time we have, huh?" he asked, his lips twitching up to match the interested glint in the hazel eyes. Grabbing one of the extra pillows, he tossed it in Reiner's direction. "Gonna stand there all night? I thought you were only here for the weekend."
“Eager to continue with what was so rudely interrupted back at the bar?” Reiner asked. He approached the end of the bed, stopping there. The barely cooled sensory memory of their heated makeout still lingered on his lips, and the flush in Connie’s cheeks at the reminder showed it wasn’t far from the other man’s mind.
Shoving himself upright, Connie grinned, “You seriously think I woulda come all the way up here if I didn’t wanna?”
“Leaping out of the car,” Reiner spoke as he climbed slowly onto the bed, “was a pretty good indication that you might be interested in me.”
“Only a little.”
Connie’s sexy smile seemed full of confidence, but the slight waver to his voice hinted at a nervousness just below the surface. Maybe just a lack of self-esteem. Or possibly just being overly self-conscious about others being nearby. Either way, it only made him seem even cuter than before. This should definitely be fun.
The bed frame squeaked lightly as they both crawled towards one another. Connie knelt in front of him, sliding a hand up into Reiner’s short blonde hair and tugged him closer. Lips met in a kiss that had none of the gentle testing and teasing qualities of the first ones at the bar. It was all uninhibited desire. Reiner responded with a pleased groan.
Hands pulled at hair, clothing, whatever body part could be grabbed. Their bodies pressed close, hips grinding hard and pulling away. Reiner could feel Connie’s lips shift against his into a frown whenever he eased back. The smaller man was getting frustrated that Reiner was toying with him. Every needy whine from Connie only encouraged that mischievous side of him even more.
Gathering handfuls of material, Reiner tugged Connie’s shirt harshly upwards. Separating with an unhappy grunt, Connie lifted his arms, letting Reiner strip his torso bare before doing the same to his own clothes. Both their shirts fluttered to the floor without another thought.
“Um… damn,” Connie murmured, checking out Reiner’s body unabashedly.
Reiner laughed, looking down at himself and back at the – while not as bulky – clearly fit body of the other man. Connie crossed his arms, flushing a little pink under Reiner’s gaze.
“Hey, don’t compare and contrast!”
“You know… I was actually thinking you looked really nice, but if you don’t want me to look, I’ll leave,” Reiner replied, turning with a frown like he was going to climb off the bed.
In a flurry of motion that happened too quickly for him to react, Reiner found himself yanked back, pinned to the bed with his arms above his head, and a red-faced Connie straddling his stomach. Trying to shift his hands free from the tight grip proved pointless.
The hazel eyes pinched shut above him, grimacing. Reiner sighed quietly and smiled up at Connie, even though the other man couldn't see him through the closed eyes. It felt like any confidence he had seemed to come and go very quickly.
"Sorry," Connie muttered, releasing his hold and sitting back. "Just... didn't want you to go."
Reiner's hands shot out, grabbing at the hips that were lifting up as Connie tried to climb off him. Shaking his head, he chuckled, "Honestly, you're a bit pure and all too easy to mess with." Shifting the other man's waist a little further south, Reiner rocked his hips upward against him. "Like I'd walk away when just kissing and touching you made me feel this good."
Connie's eyes went wide at the sensation of Reiner's steadily growing erection grinding against him. The shyly sexy smile returned, the flush on his skin darkening noticeably, even in the low light. Reiner's heart thudded a little harder in his chest. It felt like the room temperature had climbed ten degrees in a split second. They both gulped down a hard swallow.
This is not good, Reiner thought. Not feeling like this will be a one-time thing...
Sliding his palms over the ridges of Connie's back, he pulled the other man down into another scorching kiss.
----
Reiner hadn't even realized he'd dozed off until he woke with a start. A soft groan from the lump huddled beneath the comforter reminded him very quickly of what he had been doing all night. Too worn out to stay awake, his eyelids drooped back down. He snuggled a little closer to the man next to him.
His tired lower half still responded to the vivid scenes replaying in his mind. Skilled fingers sliding into the deepest parts of his body, taking him to the brink over and over. How his entire body was left shivering and aching, hands gripping the bedding, by just those hands and that tongue. That evil tongue. The sweat and other fluids that had covered his abdomen, even before they had even truly started. Once they did, it was pretty much a TKO. Over. And over. And over.
A pleased sigh huffed out his nose. He probably shouldn't have been surprised that someone in a medical field knew the human body that well. Not that he was complaining.
If Reiner had any sense of pride (in bed), he probably would have been embarrassed about just how easily Connie had him begging to be fucked. A sleepy smile curved his lips. He'd get revenge next time.
Faint knocking woke him up fully. Bert's voice, muffled by the door, came through. "J's starting to wake up, Reiner. Might want to get your friend on his way."
"Got it," he called back. "Hey, Con, sleeping time is over."
Connie stirred next to him again, grumbling louder. "Fi' more min'ts."
"No can do. Up."
With some difficulty, Reiner managed to get Connie out of the bed, whining and complaining the whole time. They parted ways at the main doors to the building with a kiss and a promise to meet up again that night. A strange kind of emptiness crept into Reiner’s stomach as he watched the cab pull away. It was going to be hard to go back to LA the next day. He squinted his eyes, looking out towards the dimly lit horizon.
Jean was going to suffer – at least a little bit – for making him have to kick Connie out so damn early. Reiner rubbed his hands together, hustling back inside to plot a morning workout.