How We Met: Reiner x Bertholdt

Changes

Reiner was starting to change as any 6th grader would. His voice was changing, he was getting hairy, and he was getting taller.

He also noticed the world around him was changing. As the moved through elementary school, his friends interests shifted from Power Rangers and getting dirty to girls and "looking cool".

It was at this critical point in his life that Reiner noticed that he was different.

Reiner noticed that he just wasn't as interested in girls as his friends seemed to be. He would zone out when his friends would talk about girls in the classes.

He tried, he would take out his year book and look really hard trying to get that "feeling" in his chest when he looked at a pretty girl.

He had asked his mom about it once, but she just called him a "late bloomer". So Reiner went through 6th grade with that mindset, waiting to "bloom".

As the winter of 7th grade approached, Reiner also noticed another change.

He thought about his best friend a lot. Over the summer Reiner noticed that Bertholdt had started to grow into himself. He started wearing contacts, his lanky frame started putting on muscle from basketball and soccer, and his voice was growing deeper. Reiner really liked listening to him talk.

That year Bertholdt was on the basketball team, and Reiner went to every game. At one game it hit Reiner like a ton of bricks. He liked Bertholdt, he got that feeling in his chest when he saw him, he really liked Bertholdt.

After that game, things seem to fall into place for Reiner. It all seemed to make sense; Reiner being more fascinated by Orlando Bloom over Kiara Knightly, his lack of interest in any of the girls at school, and his crush on Bertholdt. After many google searches, Reiner came to a single conclusion...he was gay.

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Not a lot of things left 13 year-old Bertholdt confused, except for romance.

With 8th grade coming to a close soon, many of his friends were working up the nerves to ask a girl to the 8th grade formal.

It wasn't like Bertholdt didn't have girls he was interested in, but he also was starting to notice he would think about guys sometimes.

He didn't know what to do. Was it just a "phase" as some people would say, or did he like guys the same way he liked girls. It scared Bertholdt. He knew his parents would be ok with it, but what out his friends, what about Reiner?

Reiner was the epitome of the ultimate cool guy. He was athletic, popular, muscular, blonde...good looking. The model of a straight guy.

But they were best friends, would he really stop being his friend over something like this?

He was also stressing about the dance. What if everyone had a date and his didn't. Maybe he could be conveniently "sick" that day.

But he was luckily when Reiner suggested that they just skip the dance, and hangout at his place to play video games.

It was one of the best nights of Bertholdt's life.

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Reiner was so glad he suggested that they have a boys night instead of going to the formal.

They spent the evening eating pizza, playing video games, and finished up some movies.

As 12:30am hit, they were half way through Tokyo Drift. Reiner felt something hit his shoulder. He glanced to his left and saw Bertholdt's head on his shoulder, fast asleep.

Reiner's breath caught in his throat, his heart began to race.

"He's so close to me" he thought.

Trying not to wake Bertholdt, Reiner took his hand and gently brushed a strand of hair away from Bertholdt's face.

Reiner let his sleep like that well after the movie was over, until Bertholdt woke up remembering he needed to take his contacts out.

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Finally Labor Day weekend of freshman year, Reiner had finally made the decision to tell his mom and Bertholdt.

It was incredibly nerve wracking, and Reiner was surprised that he started crying so quickly.

Bertholdt grab his hand and didn't let go as Reiner cried, apologizing to his mom.

"Reiner...sweetheart" his mom knelt in front of him. "You have nothing to be sorry for"

Reiner looked at his mom.

"You don't...you don't hate me?"

"Of course not...nothing you do could make me hate you, I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you had to hide this from me" she said her voice cracking.

"I-I didn't want to tell either of you before I was sure" Reiner sniffled.

He knelt down by his mom and they shared a tearful embrace. Reiner could feel Bertholdt's hand on his back.

Later that evening as Bertholdt was about to go home. Reiner walked him to the door, Mrs. Hoover waiting in the car outside.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner" Reiner said.

Bertholdt looked into his eyes for a moment, then pulled Reiner into a tight hug.

The two stood there in each others arms for what felt like an eternity until a car horn honked.

That night Reiner laid in bed thinking that he might have felt Bertholdt's heart beating as fast as his.

Maybe...there was something there.

However Reiner's hopes were dashed when that next week Bertholdt began dating Annie Leonhart.

To be continued