A Hidden True Love (Reiner x Bertolt)

Secrets...Little Secrets

"Bertolt...why would you do this to yourself?" He asked, truly worried. I only kept my eyes and head down, trying to hold out from sobbing aloud. I held my now healed wrist with my other hand, clenching it, trying to ease the mental pressure. Reiner had me cornered with one of my most personal secrets. Please just leave me alone Reiner! I don't want to talk about this!  I thought to myself, deep inside.

"I....I don't want to see someone I love so dearly alone and like this Bertl..." Reiner murmured with worry as he backed away from me, I held my shoulders up and hid my face from him. I was completely frozen in the darkness of my mind.

(Reiner's POV)

I treaded over the the bed that was by the the drawers and sat down on it's cushiony top. I stared down at my love. It made me feel pain inside my heart to see him like this. He was balled up, just sitting there, closed up from reality. What made him this way?  I thought...I then saw the razor he had been using to cut those horrible slits into his wrist. I bent down and plucked it off the floor with a bit of effort. I blood smeared onto my fingers I got a glimpse down on it. My focus then resumed onto Bertl. 

"Where have you been hiding these? I...don't want you to do...to do this to yourself anymore." I said, slightly shaky. Staring around him I saw the lower drawer opened a crack. My eyebrow twitched a little.

I leaned up and took at few steps by Bertolt, who laid there with a few harsh breaths and balled up in his kneels and arms, then crouching by the drawers. As his pulled it open, I saw his bag, a little ruffled. I reached for the zipper --

"Reiner, p-please don't go through t-that!" Bertolt whined, a part of his watery eyes peeking out from in between his arms and kneels.

I thought of a reply, "Bertolt, please, let me! It's for your own good..." I tried swerving something convincing to him to let me.

I pulled the zipper away and reached in. "Grab!"  I felt Bertolt's cold hand grip my arm, stopping it from continuing it's search. I grabbed something before hand though. It felt as if a thin piece of paper, small and pocket-sized. He pulled at my arm, causing me to pull it from the drawer. I held onto the piece of paper still, firmly. The light shone onto it, making it's appearance known to Bertolt. We both stared at it's contents, it looked like a photograph. It showed a young tall child who was embraced by two adult figures, who had smiles on their faces as they had their arms around the child. You could see a truly beautiful bond by the happiness they had glowing in the photo.

I heard a tiny whimper from Bertolt as he closed up again and let go, as if to give up. Judgeing by the tilt I held the photograph at, it appeared it had a note on the back. It read a short, "I'll always try my best for you Momma and Dad, I'll make you proud someday! Love Bertolt." in childish writing. Bertolt sobbed quietly. 

I knew somewhat that his parents worked to test the titan experiment as a devoted couple. They involved themselves in the part where they taught the patients how to control their form and use it effectively. But one day during our training back at Marley, all I could remember was when Bertolt was called over by our shooting instructor. A few moments later, he was guided to a bench and in tears. sitting all alone over at that bench, we were told to focus on our practice. Later that day, I remember just me and Annie being the ones who wanted to console him. And it was then, he broke it to us, his parents had passed away.

The kids made rumors and gossip about this, also giving him a hard time about it. Making jokes and saying how his parents had done that or felt that way for you. It eventually made him close up and only talk to us, though it wasn't often. He was far more shy and had less self-confidence. One bright morning, my parents had told me that Bertolt was going to live with us, seeing him at the breakfast table before me. I was actually really happy about it, since I too didn't have any siblings compared to Bertl who didn't either.