"Now Eren. There you see him." Reiner gestured at Bertholt. "Sitting there across the way."

Eren nodded, his attention rapt and devouring Reiner's every word. Fuck, he wished he'd brought his class notebook to write this all down. Bertholt sat across from him, posture hunched and eyes wide and terrified. Was that supposed to be his Armin impression, Eren thought, with no little offense. Still, he would grant forgiveness long enough for them to teach him their ways. Their gay, gay ways.

Reiner clapped a hand to Eren and Bertholt's shoulders, grinning. "He don't got a lot to say, but there's something about him."

Bertholt swallowed hard and mumbled something inaudible. Eren stared at him intensely, his mind turning over Reiner's words. There was something about Armin, wasn't there? Something so bright and sharp under his soft, clear voice and blue eyes. Something that drew Eren to him to share his dreams.

"And you don't know why, but you're dying to try." Reiner squeezed Eren's shoulder and winked. "You wanna kiss the guy."

Eren's eyes went huge, and he glanced from Reiner to Bertholt and back again. They'd…really let him practice? He, he thought he was an okay kisser, Armin never complained, but maybe if he could just practice a little on someone impartial like Bertholt, he could really, really impress Armin…

"Yes, you want him," Reiner hissed urgently, shoving Eren forward. "Look at him, you know you do."

Eren looked Bertholt over, calculating. His Armin impression was getting worse and worse, how was he supposed to learn like this? Even during their first kiss, Armin never was vibrating in a puddle of his own sweat while making high-pitched noises—

"It's possible he wants you too," Reiner explained. Before the question could even fall from Eren's desperate mouth, he continued, "There's one way to ask him."

"What? What is it!?" Eren all but screamed in his terrible lust for knowledge.

"It don't take a word, not a single word." Reiner smiled and picked Eren up by his armpits, lifting him so he was face-to-face with Bertholt. Bertholt stopped shaking entirely, and his eyes firmly fixed themselves on a point on the ceiling. "Go on and kiss the guy."

Eren seized Bertholt by the cheeks, leaning in until their noses touched. Determination burned in his heart, shone bright in his mad, intense stare directly into Bertholt's eyes. Shitty Armin impression aside, this was his best and brightest chance to practice. He would do it. He would kiss this guy.

Bertholt made a low, terrified noise, like a startled cow, and bolted from the room. Eren stared after him, confused. Armin always seemed to like it when Eren gave him that look…

Reiner shook his head, and patted Eren's shoulder consolingly. "Looks like the boy's too shy. Ain't gonna kiss the guy."