A young man by the name of Bertholdt Hoover had always wondered what Annie Leonhardt had to say. He’s no a stranger to her, though. In fact, they are very close. The two of them grew up in a small village on top of the southern mountains along with another good friend, Reiner. Ever since they enrolled to be trainees and started their journey to become soldiers, however, they haven’t spoken as much because the girls were separated from the boys half the time. Annie is rather mute and seems to have an uninterested expression on her face day in and day out. Many people are bothered by this trait of her’s. It really puzzled Bertholdt as to how people would be so intimidated by her simple enjoyment of solitude. Annie doesn’t look so frightening; Bertholdt would say that she is actually delicate. Though not out loud, he is very bashful when it comes to speaking his feelings.

As a matter of fact, Bertholdt himself is very quiet. In his case, he is very timid with his actions instead of holding a stern ground like Annie does. He lies in the background and follows the popular opinions of others. Whenever confronted, he always has a shy demeanor and stumbles his words. Bertholdt has a set of olive green eyes that gives his face more meaning and his appearance is simply tall and slender. Being the tallest of the trainees with full head of dark brown hair and tan skin, it’s no wonder that his fellow squadrons refer to him as the “friendly giant.” Annie is one with light, almost pale skin and blonde hair that is set in a messy bun. Her eyes are a bright blue but can be intense when she is clearly angered. Contrary to Bertholdt’s height, she reaches a solid five foot with a petite stature.

When Bertholdt woke up that morning, he made it his mission to spend some time with Annie. He needed to. He missed her company, he wanted to make sure nothing was upsetting her.

“I’m heading out, Reiner,” he said quietly.

“Oh?” Reiner looked over his shoulder, “but, we only have a few hours of free time. What are you going to do?”

“I, um,” he began, “want to check on Annie. Do you know where she is?”

Reiner sneered, “ah, I get it.” he then chuckled, “sorry, but I can’t help you with that.”

Bertholdt cleared his throat and blushed with embarrassment, “okay, see you.”

He went out walking about the area, searching for the blue-eyed girl. He passed many trainees, mostly ones that were goofing off behind the instructor’s back. It was then that Armin, a friend of his, noticed Berthold’s concerned look skimming the area.

“Bertholdt!” Armin happily approached him to question his business.

“Huh? Oh, Armin,” he recognized his face and stopped in his tracks.

“Is there something you need?” his comrade asked.

“I’m just wondering where Annie is,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “do you know?”

“Ah, I’m sorry, I don’t,” Armin apologized.

“It’s okay,” Bertholdt smiled weakly, “don’t worry about it.”

With that, he scuffed away, not wanting to get side-tracked. He had to find someone who knew where she was, if not Annie herself.

“I need to think. Where would Annie spend time?” Bertholdt pondered, pacing his steps and scanning for familiar faces.

Then he stopped, slightly surprised by the person before him. “Mikasa,” he said to get her attention. My, wasn’t that a rare sight. Mikasa is usually around with her adopted brother, Eren, but this time she was just resting against a wall alone.

“Have you seen Annie?” he nervously asked, hoping for a direct answer.

“No.” Mikasa said shortly. He didn’t mean for that type of direct answer.

Bertholdt frowned, “well, thank you anyway,” and left, unsuccessful. He continued with his journey until he came across the cafeteria where they would be eating dinner in a few hours. Bertholdt stared at the entrance with wistful eyes, anxiety beginning to creep on him. He is one to quickly doubt himself and assume the worst outcome from situations. What if he doesn’t find her in time? He may as well give up. He fought against his uneasiness and shook his head to shake off his whirling thoughts. He took another look at the double doors and figured he may as well take a break in there. So, he entered the doors and a sudden scent of soup suddenly rushed to him.

“Ahh,” he breathed in and smiled lightly, walking to take a seat. The empty cafeteria seemed vacant yet a certain figure appeared out of the corner of his eye. It was Annie. Bertholdt’s eyes widened and he held his breath at her unexpected appearance. She was across the room of the rows of tables sitting with her back turned towards him and head leaning against her hand.

“A-Annie,” Bertholdt stammered and stood up, waiting for her to notice him.

Annie turned her head and peered at him, “oh, I didn’t see you there.”

Bertholdt smiled with a slight blush and walked over to her, taking the seat next to her, “I didn’t think you would like sitting in here.”

“I like the quiet and I felt like taking some time-out,” Annie put her head back in her palm.

“I see,” he put his hands in his lap, “and for the smell of fresh soup?”

“I suppose so,” her expression stayed the same.

After a minute or so, which felt like hours of speechlessness, Annie leaned back and sighed, “I wonder if we could ever go back home.”

Bertholdt’s olive eyes looked at her face; he didn’t know how he would respond to that, since he wasn’t so sure himself. Then he relaxed himself a little and replied, “I feel the same… it was in bad-shape when we left.”

“Reiner says we will definitely be able to, but sometimes I have my doubts,” she closed her eyes.

Bertholdt dolefully glanced downwards, “we shouldn’t give up hope yet.”

Annie stayed in that relaxed position peacefully, keeping her eyes closed.

In those moments, the sense of worry overcame him once again and stared at his folded hands. He wanted to rekindle their friendship, to turn it into the shining star it once was before they were forced to leave and become soldiers. Bertholdt feared that Annie would drift away and he would never see her soft self that most people never get to see. He cherished the memories they shared together and wanted to make sure they could create more.

“You did a good job against Eren today, do you think you can show me the few techniques your father taught you in combat?” Bertholdt shifted his gaze to her, praying for a positive response. He was always stated as the squadron with great potential but lacked initiative, so it made sense for him to ask for assistance. Annie is one of the strongest in those areas out of the trainees and is never afraid to hold back, after all.

Annie opened her eyes and leaned back forward to glance up at him. She pushed a part of her hair off of the right side of her face and gave him a subtly sweet and genuine smile, “sure.”

This made Bertholdt’s heart flutter and he beamed at her, feeling relieved, “r-really? I’m glad..!”

The both of them made their way outside and headed to an open area where they had room for themselves. There the two of them practiced the routine of taking the wooden knife from one or the other. Bertholdt and Annie spent hours catching up and enjoyed each other’s company so much that they almost forgot dinner being served. The horizon began to brighten for the both of them.

All doubts had evaporated from Bertholdt and he let out a content sigh that night while laying in his bed. Everyone had just fallen asleep in the dorm rooms, except for a few people.

“I’m guessing it went well?” Reiner gave him a cheeky smile, “can I expect a wedding soon?”

“Reiner, I want to sleep…” Bertholdt turned over sheepishly.

Reiner let out a playful laugh, “so cute.”