𝐸𝑟𝑒𝑛, 𝑁𝑜! - AOT Oneshots ( ╹▽╹ )

Reibert - Umbrella ♡

The drift of the morning air washed into Reiner's nose as he walked, not minding the freshness. Daylight Savings Time was over now after the cold winter, and Reiner still could not adjust to the time changes. It was a funny thing feeling as though he was up earlier than usual.

He was lucky there was not heavy rain, at the minimum. Reiner thought about it now that the rainy scent and the welcoming sprinkle finally woke him up as he carried on. The blond chuckled under his breath at the thought of forgetting his umbrella. What was stranger was the fact he had been walking alone all this time, just when the sprinkling picked up.

Reiner's eyes trailed across the streets, not noticing anything familiar until he passed the vivid glow of a neon sign framed on a store. Eureka. He could hide out there and wait for the rain to pass without having to book it all the way to school. Besides, he enjoyed the morning stroll when the weather was not drenched and dingy, additionally with seriously numbing air.

Something came to mind when he happened to mosey inside the store. Perhaps, he could search for an umbrella if he had enough money to afford one at his luxury. Reiner fisted into his pockets, inwardly knowing there were only a few bills he had stashed before his route to school. It was not every day that he had the pocket change to buy something spontaneous, especially when the weather nonplussed him like this.

The blond spread his palm out, counting the cents by each piece while trying to rationalize what mattered more, getting to school on time or waiting for the rain to pass. 25, 50, 75... It was still not enough to buy Reiner out of his stormy situation.

He skimmed a hand through his straw hair at his dismay, ditching the umbrella idea as soon as it came.

Reiner's eyes stared outside the door with defeat. He jammed a hand back into his pockets, doing his best to laugh it off. Only then, he felt a vibration in his pocket, and he promptly picked up his phone at the ringing sound of Never Gonna Give You Up.

"Bertholdt, what's up?"

"Hey, Reiner, are you close by or—where are you?"

"Listen, I'll call you back as soon as I'm there. I just got stuck in the rain, and I'm at a store right now, but I'll see you soon. I'll be there. Hang tight." The blond assured, using his parental voice.

The lofty male peeked out of his bedroom window. "Oh, you got stuck inside? I can meet you there right now. It's not an issue. Are you okay?"

"You will? Well, I hope the rain won't give you any trouble in coming over here." Reiner glanced around the store, finding the vastness and the eggshell colors cozy. "It's warm in here, so don't worry. Take your time."

Bertholdt nodded. "Alright." That bought him time.

Water drizzled down the porch when Bertholdt left, rolling out his umbrella. The streets looked like the rain had washed them clean of car oil and debris. The rain was comforting, quiet without any ripples of thunder, and it didn't drain him as most weather did.

Reiner, for lack of a better word, hated the rain. Not a single thing in his mind could rest or be at peace with the idea of rainfall. Of course, a little rain never hurt anybody. Still, Reiner's sizzling judgment of the rain came at a young age.

Reiner's eyes watched the shop's doors swinging open, everything on his face registering a shocked look when a regular customer popped in. That wasn't his guy. The rain must have given Bertholdt some trouble after all and with a pretty good inconvenience.

The blond's eyes mapped down to his phone for the time, knowing there was no way on the face of this planet that he was going to be late for the second time this week. Reiner decided this was no place to hide away from tardiness as he threw up his jacket over his head for a makeshift cover. Reiner hurried over to the door, filled with an intense determination to power his way to school.

But just before he could put a foot through the doorway, his heart stopped at the first glimpse of a lanky male in matching school attire, a deep-sea blue umbrella towering over his head.

"Oh, there you are. Morning."

"Ah, so you made it." Reiner sighed with relief, patting the taller male's lean arm. "Morning to you, too."

"Reiner," Bertholdt greeted as they bumped into one another, pleasantly scattered with the time. "Hey, man. You ready?"

"Yeah, never been more ready." The blond asserted, huddling beside Bertholdt's figure underneath the umbrella with a comfortable smile.

"Were you the only one there?" Bertl wondered as they strolled out of the store.

"Nah, don't worry about it. It kinda helped me wake up." Reiner grasped on the slim umbrella handle, pulling it between them as the rain drizzled and pattered.

Bertl hummed. "I didn't know you were by yourself. I would have picked you up a lot quicker if I knew."

Reiner laughed it off. "Not your fault, Bert. The rain slows you down."

"The rain is so relaxing." The ebony-haired male peered to Reiner, smiling eagerly as he let out a soft breath of cheer. He tucked his hand between Reiner's arm and side, looping their arms together as they crossed a street.

Reiner glanced at his friend with an intrigued look, one he always had as a child. What was so pretty about the rain? What did Bertholdt see? And did he enjoy rainy days with me? Would I make a good rainy day?

Maybe it was pure admiration for nature or a fondness for jumping in puddles. It could have been out of childhood habits when they shared rainy days like this, tossing and turning on the couch and trying to read comfortably even though it was freezing. Those days dawned on Reiner like a dream.

Then out of nothing, like winds, Bertholdt's eyes changed. Reiner saw a whole other mixed color in his eyes with the view he could afford, a beautiful, shining, reflecting blue. Suddenly his eyes matched the tarp color of the umbrella, a taut and gentle blue.

It wasn't every day that Reiner had noticed such things. Before he could open his mouth, Reiner pulled his mind from anything trying to make its way out. He knew it was never a good idea to stare for too long.

As they reached another street, Bert felt tense eyes linger. He refrained from his humming and smiled good-naturedly with warm cheeks. "Something on your mind?"

Reiner's stomach fluttered with all sorts of catastrophic embarrassment. It was practically incurable. "W-well... did I tell you that I forgot my umbrella?" he switched gears unexpectedly, trying to cut off the powerful beat in his heart.

"You didn't tell me that." Bertholdt contemplated. "How come you didn't stop to buy one in the store?"

"Uh – oh, yeah, they were broken." Reiner gave a smug grin as his expression softened, relaxing on his friend's shoulder.

"Oh, then why were they selling them?"

"I dunno. Bunch of scammers." the blond joked.

Bertl nuzzled the blond, a soft laugh at the base of his throat. "I don't mind sharing my umbrella with you."

Reiner flushed, mimicking Bertholdt's pace down the street. Their hands touched as they handled the umbrella together, glued to each other for warmth. "I don't mind doing a lot of things with you."

Bertholdt's stomach fuzzed with warmth. "Like what?"

The blond didn't hesitate to hide back one of his more suggestive grins. Bertholdt didn't think differently of this look or the deliberate eye contact Reiner gave him. And right now, he didn't feel crazy in the slightest when they could stop just to smile at each other like this.

Then, when traffic came to a halt, the two stood at the curb idly. Reiner moved, and not away, but closer, much closer, against Bertholdt's nose with very minimal force. The closeness was familiar and wanted, but at the same time, undiscovered and excitingly different. It was enough to make the taller male go into a lapse of humiliation.

"Like this..." Reiner mumbled.

No more words were spoken, only a soft peck to be given between them. Bertholdt's chest pulsated at first touch, bewildered, and under no panic whatsoever. Reiner tugged the umbrella down, covering the two of them from any unwanted outside influence. He didn't know an umbrella could do such a thing. Bertholdt's cozy blue umbrella.