"You son of a bitch! I'll get you for that!"

Porco rammed Reiner into his ribs so hard he nearly dropped his controller. He was quite far back in the race but luck blessed him with a winged blue shell, which flew up to Porco and blew up his kart, knocking him out of first place in the race. And now with an arrogant grin, Reiner managed to use the chaos at the front of the race to edge everyone out and take first place.

"What, can't you stand being at the bottom again, Pock?" Reiner laughed bragging and sped to the finish line on the final lap, earning another push from his ginger second player.

"Screw this," Porco said as the whistle played and a koopa on a cloud waving a checkered flag announced Reiner's first-place victory. He pouted as he crossed his arms on his knees and leaned forward, his controller forgotten because he no longer wanted to finish the race.

Reiner laughed heartily and patted Porco on the shoulder.

"Hey can you guys please keep it down?" Bertholdt asked from his desk, looking over the bustle around his bedroom, "My parents don't like it when there's too much noise."

"Yeah, please just... listen to the big guy and shhh..." Colt moaned, leaning against Porco's arm. In this universe, he was only a year younger than the others, but he would soon see them off to college and leave him with Reiner's cousin, his little brother and their friends. Colt had drunk too much at the party and Porco had to pull him out of his sleeping bag in the morning.

"Don't worry babe, we're just about to leave," Porco said, glaring at Reiner.

"Okay okay," Reiner laughed, waving at the two, "It's just a game. You don't have to leave."

Porco humphed and leaned into the couch, putting a hand around Colt's shoulders so he could snuggle up a little closer and take a nap from his hangover.

"Porco, behave," Marcel said from the bed. He didn't look up from his book.

"Why don't you come and beat him, then?" Porco shouted at his twin brother who was unaffected by the shouting.

'Sore loser' was the best way to describe the Porco of this universe. He lost his temper very easily but he was all bark and no bite. When he had time to sulk and recover, he was a very good friend. Loyal to a fault in a way that Reiner experienced at the end of the life of the Porco that he had to leave behind in his previous life. Nothing was better than getting along so well now that they had been given the chance to live in peace.

Of all the kids he had met from his previous life, Reiner expected him to be one of the others who might be like him: someone with memories. But he hadn't met such a person yet. Not Zeke, not Marcel, not Annie, not Bertholdt.

Speaking off...

Reiner rose from the couch and walked to the desk where Bertholdt was drawing in his notebook, which he closed when Reiner approached. Always on his own and shy to show his talents.

He still hadn't had the heart to tell him about their past lives. The things Reiner got to discover about Bertholdt for the second time and the things that were different this time. They've been best friends for 8 years now but Reiner never felt like his extra knowledge changed the way they were friends. In fact, it brought Reiner closer to Bertholdt. He was more certain that it was someone he would gladly spend the rest of his life with now that he had been given a chance.

But it also scared him, because what if it wasn't meant to be after all? What if Bertholdt didn't love him as Reiner thought? What if he wasn't good enough?

"Hey," Bertholdt said.

"Hi," Reiner answered, "What are you drawing there?"

The brunet blushed and looked away, "Oh you know, just doodles."

"For the internet?"

"Yeah."

The blond put a hand on his best friend's shoulder and smiled, "Can I see?"

Bertholdt said nothing for a moment but then handed his notebook to Reiner. Pencil sketches of creatures and animals on some pages, shapes filled with parallel lines and practicing perspective on others, but most impressive were the landscapes and paradoxical building designs that covered the pages. Reiner had seen his progress over the years and sometimes couldn't even believe he had gotten so good at it. He pointed his finger at the little octopus he drew during their game, "What's that one for?"

"It's for a friend."

"He's a lil' cutie."

Bertholdt blushed deeper and looked away but he couldn't hide his smile. Reiner hoped his message was clear.

Was it time to strike?

A knock on the door was quicker than Reiner. "Come on in," Bertholdt replied and Mrs. Hoover entered, holding an envelope in her hands.

"Bertholdt, sweetie, this came in the mail!"

Bertholdt ran and so did the others except Colt, whom Porco abandoned and was now snoring on the sofa without support. The letter bore an ancient crest as a seal, one that surprised Reiner to be so similar to that of the Marleyan seashell, and its name read Marley University Department of Architecture.

"Oh my God..." Bertholdt said, "What did it say?"

"I didn't look," Mrs Hoover said.

"Open it!" said Porco. He almost snatched the letter from Bertholdt's hands and opened it himself if Marcel hadn't stopped him.

"You guys, please, give him some space," Reiner said. He pushed the others back with his open arms, "Why don't we go somewhere less crowded to see what's in here?"

"Yeah..." Bertholdt replied. He was approaching a panic attack and Reiner had to get him out of there. Together with Mrs. Hoover he led the brunet to the kitchen, where Bertholdt sat down at the table and his two companions stood beside him, curious to see what this letter said.

"Honey, the sooner you open it, the sooner you can breathe again," Mrs. Hoover said.

"I know, I know," the brunet said without touching the letter on the table in front of him.

"Do you need one of us to do it?" Reiner asked, his hand on the letter.

"No!" Bertholdt yelled and snatched the letter from the table, causing the other two to recoil, "...I'm sorry. I'm just nervous. What if this is a rejection letter? This is my preferred college... "

"Hey, take your time," Reiner put his hand on Bertholdt's shoulder and he sighed.

"No, I should do this. I have to know." Bertholdt grabbed the envelope with both hands and tore open the flap, pulling out the letter and reading it. But as soon as Reiner spotted it, Bertholdt noticed it too: the word congratulations.

"I'm in!" the brunet shouted and spontaneously hugged Reiner in joy.

"Yo, do you hear that? He's in!" Reiner heard from around the corner. Porco and Marcel rushed into the kitchen, obviously listening in on them, and the twins joined Reiner in congratulating Bertholdt on his acceptance to his preferred college.

Reiner couldn't be happier, really, he couldn't. He saw how much it hurt Bertholdt to be forced to destroy entire towns and kick down buildings. Now that he was given the chance, he wanted to create and Reiner encouraged him every step of the way and helped nurture his interest in architecture, urban design and planning. But there was a big stumbling block in this plan: no general college degree program interested Bertholdt so much as the art colleges and Marley University was so far from the colleges that fit into Reiner's budget. They would barely see each other for the next 4 years. Reiner didn't want that.

Bertholdt seemed so happy with the acceptance of his dream. A dream Reiner helped him build, one which Reiner hoped to share with him one day. Everyone knew the stories of best friends from high school who got separated when they went to different colleges. Was this their future after Reiner promised to do the right thing?

They could text and voice call but it wouldn't be the same thing at all. If Reiner was being outspoken, then he wanted to look into those soft forest green eyes when they spoke. He had been deprived of so many years that they could have spent together, he didn't want to be separated even for a day.

Bertholdt spent the rest of the day happy. Reiner followed him like a beaten dog that would not show it. When they went to a skate shop despite Marcel's insistence that Porco would end up with bruises and Colt's insistence that Porco on a skateboard would be radical, Reiner let the others know that they could enter without both of them.

The brunet looked at him strangely as he waited to know why he was stopped.

"So... Marley, huh?"

Bertholdt smiled. "That's right, Marley."

"Congrats. I know I said it before but there was quite a bit of commotion back then. That's a prestigious school to make it into."

The brunet was not good with praise. He looked away with a flustered smile, saying something like it was nothing, but it was, it was something, it was amazing.

"Are you going?" Reiner said.

"Do I have a choice?"

"'Course you do! This is a free country," Reiner parroted his mom, "Besides, you must have other choices." He knew that if Bertholdt hadn't yet received his letter of acceptance from Paradis Academy, it would never arrive. Reiner's grades were higher than Bertholdt's, but his financial situation made him a weaker candidate. Someone like Bertholdt would have been accepted already.

"Yeah...other choices." Bertholdt looked away and Reiner stared as he realized it.

"You haven't received any other acceptance letters?" The brunet shook his head. "Why? You are a good student.

"I don't know, Reiner. Can we drop this? I get to go to Marley. That's what makes me happy."

"Okay. I'll drop it."

The brunet smiled. "Thank you, Reiner. Come on!" He pulled Reiner into the skate shop by the arm, where they found Porco fully decking himself out in protective skating gear with help from Colt and Marcel facepalming.

Well, then Reiner had no choice but to accept Bertholdt and he would part ways soon. If he wanted to make a meaningful change in this timeline, this might be his only chance to do so. He had to confess.