The third time it happened, Armin started to notice a pattern.

Titan's Demise proved to be exactly the type of fiction that Eren would lose himself in, and Armin finally convinced him to give it a read once he was done with it. Proud that he could expand his interest in reading beyond their book about the outside world, he was also glad he'd have someone to discuss the story with.

When he returned to the library empty-handed that week — a little later than last week because the guys kept him around after dinner — he once again found Bertholdt, already present, sitting on the floor in his usual lane with a couple of stacks of books surrounding him. In the week past, Armin had spotted him passing on one of his books to Annie just outside the barracks, neither of them exchanging many words, and Armin wondered if it was not the books themselves but the company that made Bertholdt reluctant to agree to read with him and discuss the book he was given. Neither him nor Bertholdt had made an effort to strike up a conversation with each other, even though they'd both had several opportunities to do so, but that didn't mean they disliked each other, did it? Armin didn't let it discourage him from trying.

As soon as Armin walked down the step leading into the library, the taller boy stiffened and looked his way. Greeting one another, Armin made his way towards the bookshelf to lean against it, looking down on Bertholdt with a smile.

"So?" he asked.

"So?" Bertholdt repeated, then with a brief delay his eyes widened. "Oh… I didn't really have time to read what you gave me. I'm sorry, Armin, I'll do better next time."

Averting his eyes, he really did look ashamed about his forgetfulness, and Armin saw renewed hope that he could yet become a reading buddy of his.

"Don't worry about it!" he reassured the taller boy. "How about the other one, with the tree? I saw you reading in the barracks this week, did you manage to finish it?"

"Yes," Bertholdt replied with a pause.

"What's it about?" Armin leaned deeper into the bookshelf, hoping that if he gave the taller boy a chance to talk about it, he might open up.

"It's, uh… It's about…" he replied before breaking eye contact, gaze drifting down to the rows of books in front of him instead. "I, um… didn't actually read it. Only the other one I got," he confessed, turning his face away slightly more as a hint of pink dusted his cheeks.

"Oh," Armin simply replied. Why would he lie? Could it be…? "Did you like the one you did read, then?" Armin tried for a third time, but at this point he half expected Bertholdt to confess that he actually spent his free time staring at the pages without reading a word that was printed on them.

"I did. It was nice." Bertholdt started gathering the books around him, storing them in the bookshelf again one by one. "I don't think many people would like it leisurely, though."

"Why is that?" Armin asked, and Bertholdt just shrugged as he continued cleaning up in silence. Armin wasn't sure if it meant that he hadn't read anything, but Bertholdt sounded less like he was bluffing and more like he was reluctant to talk about what he'd read.

"It's okay," Armin continued, "you don't have to like what everyone else likes. Just read what you want to read. And what I gave you, of course!"

To that, Bertholdt briefly looked Armin's way, then went back to work with a nod and a mild smile. Before long, he was done, standing up with just one book in his hands. Armin made way for him to pass through, dejected that Bertholdt was once again leaving early, but attentive when the taller boy stopped by the door, hesitant to leave.

"Hey, Armin? Thank you for saying that. About reading what I want to read. I appreciate it," he said, only looking at the blond when he was done speaking.

Armin, in turn, sported a wide grin and felt his eyes practically sparkle. With that, Bertholdt left the building and Armin once again found himself alone. Instead of going back to the bookshelf he explored last week, he decided it was about time he learned a little more about the taller cadet he'd met every Friday evening for the past three weeks.

He made his way over to the left lane, sitting down on his knees to get access to the bookshelf. Bertholdt had neatly placed back the books he'd been browsing, and one by one, Armin pulled them off of the shelf and took a look at their title. Walled Cities. 830-840. The Survey Corps Throughout the Ages. Noble Houses. Mitras of Old. The Fall. The Formation of Regiments. Armin eventually stumbled upon the book he saw Bertholdt leave with the week prior – a thick red book titled Maria. Rose. Sina.

How in the world did Bertholdt have time to finish this in just a week? Picking it up and flipping through the pages, Armin found a detailed book printed in a small font that could easily paint a fairly complete history of each wall until the year 846. At his best, even Armin might take a few weeks getting through this – and did he desire to do so now that he finally had a written account of history to further detail what he was taught by his parents, his books, and the drunks of Hannes' Garrison clique.

Armin closed the book, excitedly drumming his fingers on the cover. So Bertholdt was a history buff who grabbed fiction in an attempt to cover up his tracks and seem more ordinary. Someone who, just like Armin, was fascinated by what was going on in the world more than in any made up world. On the first day, he had a perfect idea of why people in their early teens were so eager to join the military. He must've liked it, must've thought about it as often as Armin did, but looked so ashamed of the harmless hobby that he'd rather humiliate himself by being caught in a lie than to freely admit he liked reading about history. Maybe it was better that Armin didn't tell anyone this. He decided he'd only hit up the taller boy about this when they were in the confines of the library, where no one would overhear them and he could assure him it was fine and that he wanted to know more.

Now that Armin had cracked the code, what could he do with this? He felt a little guilty about so eagerly pressing a fantasy novel into Bertholdt's hands, but maybe the two were alike in that they'd both warm up to new genres if they just gave them a try. If not, then their next encounter might be on the awkward side if Bertholdt followed his promise to read Tale of Allumia and dragged his feet not to disappoint Armin again. Still, maybe he'd find it a worthwhile read even if it weren't his thing.

For the rest of the evening, Armin decided to stay in the library to read, not taking very long to decide what he was going to read that week. Only a couple of other cadets entered the library, but they weren't very receptive to Armin's greetings and were out again within minutes, visibly deterred by the presence of another cadet there to watch them as they picked out books.

Armin didn't mind, because he already had all of his attention focused on winning over the friendship of one.