10

"Hello? This is... Uhh... Reiner Braun. Bertholdt's friend.", Reiner muttered at the other end of the line. Marco blinked, holding the phone and staring at the wall in front of him, a little confused as to why he had called.

"Oh...! Is there something I can do for you? Jean's not around-"

"No, I called to speak to you, actually, Marco."

"M-me?", Marco blurted out, suddenly feeling rather panicked. Oh god, what was this about? What had Jean done? How did Reiner know his name? He'd never even seen the man let alone spoken to him.

"Yeah. You're Jean's friend, right?"

"Y-yes...?"

"Hm. Our two are going on their first date this friday. I'm a little apprehensive. Do you feel the same?", Reiner asked. He could feel a blush spread across his face, his ears quickly becoming a light shade of red as he registered just how dumb he sounded.

"In all truth? A little. Jean is clumsy and hot-headed. Last time we went out to eat he ended up getting into a lot of trouble... Why do you ask?".

"I'm worried about Bertholdt. He's never been on a date before. I just...", he tried to think how to word the request best. "I want to be there to make sure everything goes to plan. What do you think?". There was an awkward pause, a moment of silence; enough to make the blond lose his nerve and put the phone down, clutching his head in his hands. It was a stupid idea anyway. Oh god, he hoped Marco wouldn't tell Jean. Fuck- he was just trying to look out for- The phone rang again. Nervously, he picked it up.

"Hey, it's Marco. Sorry for not responding quickly enough. I... feel the same. But I don't think you phoned me up just to discuss it. Do you have a plan?"

"Oh- thank god. I was really worried... But, yeah, I do. I put a bit of thought into it. You might want to get a pen and paper to write this down on.".

Bertholdt's mind was racing as he walked slowly along the street. He tried to remember to breathe; deep breaths - just like Reiner had told him - before hurrying him out the door. Jean didn't live that far away, but still... What if he got the address wrong? He'd left his watch at home; What if he was too early? Too late? What would Marco think? He shook his head, hands burying themselves deep within the pockets of his trousers as he peered at the numbers on the buildings, only coming to a stop when he saw the name that Jean had given him, "Fallow Building 1-5", engraved over one of the doors. He was in flat number 5. It was simple. Nothing to worry about. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the '5' button on the metal panel to the right of the door for a couple of seconds before letting it go and waiting nervously. Silence followed. Then there was a metallic beep and a crackly, static voice.

"Number 5. Who is it?"
Bertholdt swallowed; it was Marco.

"I-it's Bertholdt."

"Oh! You're a little early. Jean's not quite ready yet, but just head up. I'll unlock the door."
The static ceased and was followed by a metallic ringing. Bertholdt pushed open the door, met by warm air and the smell of dust. He took a moment to compose himself, heart still racing, before making his way up the cold, concrete staircase.

"Jean! Hurry up!", Marco called through the door to their shared room where Jean was stood amidst piles of clothes. He'd never been this nervous about appearances before, but he wanted to make a good impression on their first date, even if it was just going to the docks and getting a meal. He grabbed a maroon hoodie with a white zip and cuffs from the floor and shoved it on, briefly taking a second to check it looked alright before running a comb through his hair. It didn't help much; his hair was unruly as hell no matter how much he worked on it. The doorbell rang. He dashed out the door.

"I've got it!", he yelled to Marco who had been making his way down the hall from the living room. Marco pressed himself against the wall, letting Jean past, before slipping into the kitchen.

"Hey! God, it's good to see you.", Jean smiled.
Bertholdt beamed as he saw his friend, nerves forgotten as the smaller man met him in a hug. He caught a brief glimpse of Marco as Jean called to him, saying he'd be back later and that he had his phone with him. As Jean shut the door and looked at his date under the flickering light above them, he felt an uncontrollable grin work its way onto his face.

"It's good to see you too, Jean.".

"That's them left now. What should I do?".
"That's good. Stick to the plan. Wait ten minutes or so. Bertl said he was planning on doing to the docks first. We'll meet up there."
"A-alright! See you there.".