We can do it Together

A sigh escaped Bertolt's lips as his sleep was interrupted. He blinked a few times, trying to determine what exactly had woken him up. It didn't take long to figure it out, what felt like a little foot pressed against the skin of his stomach from the inside. The corners of his mouth curled upwards into a soft smile as he pressed a hand against the small bump that broke the roundness of his stomach. The life inside responded by kicking the hand, demanding the attention it constantly sought.

Bertolt sighed again and sat up in the bed, supporting his rounded belly with one hand as he propped up his pillow behind him with the other so he could sit comfortably, and lifted his shirt. He could see the outline of the baby's foot on the stretched skin, as it insisted on pushing against it's fleshy home. The dark haired male prodded the little protrusion with his finger, willing the child to stop it's games and go back to sleep, but the baby was having none of that.

A chuckle caught Bertolt's attention. Apparently Reiner had also woken up and was staring at the little interaction with a stupidly wide grin on his face.

"Little one giving you trouble?" The blond asked, also sitting up so he could sit beside Bertolt. The other nodded slowly in response before wincing when the baby kicked one of his internal organs with unexpected force. Reiner gave him an apologetic smile, rubbing the stretched skin as he tried to calm down the restless child.

"I'm sorry for making you go through with this, Bertl."

Reiner's words surprised Bertolt. "Reiner, this is nobody's fault. We just weren't careful." Neither of them were to blame for their current predicament, since neither of them had known that titan shifters could reproduce no matter the gender. Still, Reiner couldn't help but feel guilty, since it was him that had put the baby in his partner's belly.

Thankfully it wasn't all bad, in fact, they had been extremely lucky. Bertolt had not had any morning sickness, leading to quite an easy first trimester. The pair had only discovered the pregnancy when Bertolt's stomach had begun to unnaturally swell. Their suspicions had been confirmed when gentle fluttering could be felt within, the baby being active and restless early on in the pregnancy.

The pair of titan shifters had, to say the least, completely freaked out. A baby didn't fit into their plans at all, and even worse, their true nature could be discovered. But luck seemed to be on their side, for only a few weeks after their discovery, they had been sent to a small outpost on the Wall's perimeter to keep an eye on things. Much to their delight, they'd be alone and would stay there for at least seven months, which gave them more than enough time to figure out what they were going to do about the situation.

Now, as Bertolt lay in the bed cradling his seven month pregnant stomach, Reiner couldn't help but feel scared for what lay ahead of them. They still had no idea what they were going to do with the baby, and time was running out as it grew bigger and bigger. In four months they'd have to return to the trainee barracks, with or without a baby in their arms.

Of course, getting rid of it would have been a simple solution, but neither of them had been capable of even bringing up the sour subject. They had both grown up in a world where life was precious, wanted or unwanted, so Reiner and Bertolt allowed the little life to grow, slowly falling in love with it with every kick it gave.

"Reiner? What are you thinking about?"

Bertolt's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You had that look again. The one you have when you're thinking too hard about something."

"Oh, yeah..." Reiner averted his gaze, removing his hand from the bulge, the baby calm for the time being. "I was just...thinking about the baby, and what we're going to do with it."

Bertolt, as usual, didn't respond with words, but simply looked at him instead. With a finger, he lifted Reiner's chin, forcing him to lock eyes with him. When Reiner complied, Bertolt gave him a soft smile that just seemed to say everything to Reiner, that everything would turn out alright and that they'd find a way to make it work. For now, they should focus on bringing their son or daughter into the world safely.

Reiner let out a happy sigh as he leaned fowards, noses touching briefly before lips met in a quick chaste kiss. "I know, Bertl, I know." The blond breathed out before pressing their lips together once more. Just as the kiss was about to deepen, the pair was interrupted. Bertolt winced as he received a very strong kick, then groaned and allowed his head to fall on Reiner's shoulder. He just wanted to sleep without having his insides beaten up.

The other simply chuckled again and his hand returned to it's usual spot on the Bertolt's stomach. "Hey you, we need to get some sleep and so should you." He said to the life that resided in his partner's swollen abdomen. His words seemed to ease the child, and though it kept moving about, it didn't kick again with as much force.

They both settled back into the bed, curled up together with Bertolt's middle in between them. Reiner's hand seemed to be glued to the same spot, and it stayed there as he slowly drifted off to sleep, but not without first muttering a 'good night Bertl' and giving him a little kiss on the forehead.

Bertolt smiled once more, enjoying the affection, and as both Reiner and the child curled up inside him fell asleep, so did he.

"Good night, Reiner."

They'd get through this. He was sure of it.