When Words Fail

Chapter 1

If there was one thing Bertholdt was not good at it was communicating or communicating well. It was either he was too shy to say anything about things that bothered him or he wasn't loud enough to express his concerns. That's why he had Reiner by his side. They've been friends since childhood so Reiner was used to reading him. So when he was around Bertholdt felt like he didn't even have to say anything because Reiner would do it for him. It was a real blessing for him.

But this time around, it was Reiner he had a hard time talking to or more like confessing his feelings too. There was one thing Reiner could read about Bertholdt and that was how Bertholdt really felt about him. You guessed it. Bertholdt had a crush on Reiner.

And for him it was really hard not to. Reiner was so strong and tough but also kind. He also had a kind of a kid side. Bertholdt could get lost in his eyes. The way he does his best to make sure everyone is alright makes Bertholdt like him even more. With all this in mind he just doesn't have the balls to talk to Reiner about this because he's scared about his response. He doesn't wanna ruin their friendship they had for so many years. So he'll just keep talking to Annie about it.

Annie was another friend he had known since childhood. Though he wasn't as close to her as he was with Reiner, they were still good friends nonetheless. She knew about Bertholdt's secret crush and tried to help him the best she could even though she probably wasn't the best person to ask when it came to romance.

Right now though Bertholdt was stuck in the Cafeteria with Reiner watching him talk. He didn't know what to do but he enjoyed how his lips moved.

"Bertholdt."

He could imagine him saying his name over and over again.

"Bertholdt?!."

Oh wait, he was calling him.

"Bertholdt? Are you good, man?" Reiner called out one last time.

All Bertholdt could do was blink. "Huh? Did you say something, Reiner/"

Reiner ignored his question. "What's been up with you lately? You're always dozing off and you became more quiet than usual. You know most people wouldn't have noticed but I do. Tell me what's up."

REINER'S POV

I don't know what's up with Bertholdt but he's been acting weird for a while now, I wonder what happened. What was so bad that he won't even tell me about it.

"Reiner, I don't know what you're talking about. I've been normal. Maybe you're hallucinating!." There was a very clear blush on his cheeks. Just then Annie walked in. As she made her way to a table I saw Bertholdt's eyes linger.

Oh so that's why he's been weird.

BERTHOLDT'S POV

Maybe I should ask Annie about this later on.

Turning my focus back to Reiner, I saw that he had this look on his face.

"What?" I asked.

He snickered. "Nothing."

What was that about?

"Oh hey Reiner, I was wondering, would you be interested in going on a road trip with me? There's this wedding I've been invited to but I-"

"You're too scared to be in a crowded place by yourself?" I nodded. "Of course then. When are we planning on going?"

"Oh about two days from now."

"Perfect. I have nothing to do anyway. And it'll be fun." He then got up and left. I waited for the door to close before letting out a quiet 'yes'.

"Congratulations, you got yourself a date."

THIRD PERSON

Bertholdt practically jumped out of his seat. He forgot that Annie was there. He turned to her. She got her usual. A black coffee: no sugar, no cream.

"Oh Annie, would you like to tag along - you know for extra support?"

"Why not...?"