Brand New Life

Chapter 31: Together At Last

Reiner and Bertholdt

Reiner's POV

My chance now... now or never. I can't stand to live in denial while Bertholdt lives with me... knowing that I loved him... but he never accepts them. What's his deal? To hide his feelings? To not trust me? Bertholdt... I can't deal with it all... I have to do... I'm confessing. Enough with all this stuff that hides my true self away from you. Enough with all my failed attempts to make you love me. I guess... I have to be blunt...

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Bertholdt's POV

The memories of the trip already started to fade... I mean, it made sense. It's been a couple weeks... and soon, mid-terms. My stomach started to growl for food... lunch is in the next hour. I can wait... I can wait.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed something odd. My phone was on, showing me a text message from Reiner. He wasn't in my art class... since he disliked it. More of a football player...

Anyways, I took a small glimpse of it, "Bert. I got something important for you. Meet me in the janitors closet by the lunchroom."

Reiner... what are you planning? An urge overcame me to reply to it, but the teacher's beady eyes made me resist to replying. I didn't want get in trouble... not now... 

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After my art class, I went over to that janitors closet. The one thing that bugged my head... the one thing that made me distracted was that single text from earlier. What did he have for me?

Knocking on the door, I looked around, panicked that I couldn't have anyone near us. I wanted to know why he wanted me in private... "Reiner... the coast is clear."

The door opens, and I was pulled into the room. Dark... I couldn't see a thing. But I did hear the door close and lock. "Bertholdt..." Reiner speaks as he turns on the lightbulb there. He looks down, like he was embarrassed or something.

"You have something for me?"

"Yeah... this-"

 He cuts his words off as he kissed me. The weird thing... I didn't push him away from me.. more like... I embraced it... my arms wrapped around Reiner, and I pulled him close. Was this... my true feeling? Did I really have feelings for him... and I never noticed? Well... I did bury every feeling under everything in my head.

I felt Reiner pull away from his kiss, "Heh... so you do love me... I thought you never did..."

"W-What?"

"I tried... so hard... to make you fall for me... heck, I didn't know you had feelings for me." He then leans forward, kissing me again. His weight pressed against me, and I couldn't stand up as he leaned. My back hits a rack full of cleaning supplies, and we continued to kiss each other...

"M-Maybe... I-I do love you..."

My stomach rumbled for lunch, but I managed to ignore the call. I wanted to stay here... with him... but soon, our hunger grew onto us... and we began to starve. Knowing we wouldn't have that much time to eat, we sat on the floor of the janitors' closet, eating our home-lunch.

We sat, talking about our true feelings, and before we knew it, the bell rang to notify everyone that lunch was over... and that we have 10 minutes before our math class started.

"Let's go..." Reiner says, grunting as he got up from the floor. He pulls me to my feet. "We shouldn't be late because of our little moment, right?"

"R-Right."

We weren't paying attention as we stepped out. Turning off the light, we tried to ensure that there was no evidence of us there... but then, as we stepped out, we were caught.

"R-Reiner? Bertholdt?" Eren asks as he stares at us in surprise. He was out there with Armin, Mikasa, and Annie. 

Annie... she was surprised to see us in that closet, but she wasn't too upset. She smiles as she see us. "So, I see you guys confessed your love."

"I-I guess so."

"Good." Her body leaned heavily onto Armin, "Now I don't have to suffer as Reiner dumps his failed attempts onto me, asking me for advice- I am not a gypsy."

Eren shakes his head, "A-Anyways... we're heading over to class, wanna walk together?"

Reiner smiles, "Yeah, why not?"

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Reiner's POV

Finally... I have you, Bertholdt... and it only took a kiss. A kiss to make you fall in love with me. Now, I'm just glad we're together at last. Trust me... you don't know how I feel about you and I being together, Bertholdt...