Chapter Text
The beach was nice, the breeze was lackadaisical and the sand was warm to the touch. It was bereft of many people, as the day was only halfway done.
Reiner's beat up sedan trundled into a parking spot by the shoreline, slotting into park with an unhealthy clunk that Reiner said was perfectly fine. The trio of teens soon found the beach, they (Reiner and Bertolt) were encumbered with their umbrellas and towels and coolers.
Annie, without any heavy cargo to carry, scouted ahead for a good spot to claim as their territory. She found a small indent in the hill the beach back onto that had a nice amount of solitude. Their stuff was quickly deposited as Reiner rolled his shoulders in an attempt to overplay the 20lbs he had to carry.
“Y’know, you coulda carried something.”
“Of course I could have, but I didn’t want to,” the blonde shrugged her reply, “plus it was cute watching you and Bert work together.”
“Together is a…strong word to use, Reiner insisted I didn’t take anything too heavy.” Bertolt interjected from where he was setting the umbrella up.
“What can I say? my momma raised a gentleman.”
Annie only produced a “mm-hm” noise at that, clearly not buying what he was selling. She grabbed her beach chair out of the basket and snapped it open, placing it perfectly under the shade of the umbrella, as no part of her pale skin wanted to be under the unscrupulous gaze of the sun. She’d gone for a simple black swim top and shorts, probably because she had no intentions of swimming. Her paradise was on land with her shade, her book and her boys.
Who were currently trying to figure out where to put their towels.
”Rei, you should be under the umbrella, you’re gonna burn alive if you don’t.”
“I’ll be fine,” he tugged his towel back into the open. “Plus, the sun will be good for me.”
“You won’t be fine, you’re paler than Annie.”
"No I'm not!" He gestured to the girl, "Look at her legs, they're as white as paper!"
"You like lookin' at my legs Rei?" She propped one up for emphasis.
"NO!" The boy then realized that he was talking to his girlfriend, "YES!" He blushed hard, "I DON'T KNOW!"
Annie had to hide her face behind her book because she started giggling, but also because her face was also starting to dust pink.
"You're gonna be the death of me, Leonhart." he spoke like it was a universal truth, he threw a look to the taller man behind him, who was currently hiding his laughter behind a Capri-Sun. "You to, Hoover."
Bertolt gave him a playful wink before peeling off his shirt to get ready for his day in the ocean. Both of the blondes went quiet as they watched the display of a lean torso and bronze skin.
Bertolt noticed.
“Everything alright?”
“Just admiring the view.” Reiner answered nonchalantly, starting to unbutton the obnoxious Hawaiian shirt he decided would be on theme for their excursion.
It was Bertolt’s turn to blush madly, his inability to handle praise always rearing its ugly head whenever he was complimented. His gaze went to Annie, who was looking at him with the same admiration that Reiner was, the lakes in her eyes marred every inch of his body.
Bertolt sometimes felt like the luckiest guy on earth.
“Bertie? Wanna help me put on my sunscreen?” The blonde man was in front of the still blushing dark-haired man, holding a bottle of sunblock in his hand.
Bertolt had never nodded faster in his life.