Beauty [Bertholdt x reader]

Your name was in everybody’s mouth. The boys were discussing how they could make a move on you and the girls tried to gossip about the tiniest things you did. Honestly you didn’t care anymore. It was your daily-routine to get one or two squeezes here and there, and to hear your name fall from the jealous girls’ lips.
But it was annoying, it was always like this! No one cared about your true self, everybody just saw your beauty and skills and that’s what everybody fell for. Not your true self, your beauty. But one day it was enough, you wanted to change something, you wanted to change the situation and see who really likes you. It was a lot of work. Convincing Keith to ‘send’ you back to the frontier so that you could put on a mask to disguise yourself. Surprisingly he agreed to your request with the remark “Hopefully the morons will stop gawking at your behind during 3DMG training.”
You two faked your exclusion. The next day it was time.
You were sitting in the dining hall as Keith stormed in the room, threw your bag in your face and dragged you out of the dining hall. Pushing you on a carriage he yelled a last time in your face before they brought you back to the frontier.

‘Point one succeed, now it’s time for a makeover!’

Running behind Keith, the whole 104th training regiment stood behind him, staring at the carriage that faded in the distance. Raising a shy voice, Berthold asked Keith what had happened that he decided to suspend you. Turning around, the instructor glared the tall boy in the ground before he raised his voice.
“IT’S NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS! Tomorrow we will meet a new recruit, be nice to her.” and with this being said, Keith dismissed himself and went back to the other instructors.


At the frontier, your friends were already waiting for you. Dragging you out of the carriage, they gave you a full makeover and changed your civilian clothes with some lumpy rags they had found. Using resin they sticked a bigger nose and a bulging forehead in your face. They cut off a few strands of hair from the horse (A/N: Why do I think about Jean...?) before they used the same resin to glue them in between your eyebrows.

“Don’t you think this is too much?” you asked, your voice a little panicked as you imagined how you would look like.
“No, no it’s perfect! You want to find out who loves your personality, so everything else has to be as ugly as possible!”
“Thanks, I love you too Sagraba.” you retorted before she violently put the wig on your head.
And there was your new self; you looked like someone had beaten you up just seconds ago, but this should be your everyday outfit from now on. Sighing you turned to your friends before you cocked an eyebrow.

“Don’t you think that this is so extreme that they will see it’s me? I mean, who in this world looks like this in real life?”
“You, from now on!” Aurora laughed before she put a bottle full of resin and another full of horse hair in your bag.
“Tell me how it goes, (f/n).”
“Uh huh” you answered before you stepped back in the carriage, waving after your friends.

-Next morning-

You were totally nervous as you heard how Keith introduced you. He stood in the dining hall, the same place where he dragged you out the day before. And now he welcomed you.
Standing around the edge, you could hear the trainees whisper among them.

“Welcome your new sister in arms.” Keith said before you stepped around the corner and let them see your new self.
Everything you could make out was that they stared at you like they had seen a monster. Well, to be honest, you looked like one so who could blame them?

“What’s your name?” a soldier from the back of the crowd asked you.

‘Shit, I forgot to think of a pseudonym!’ you silently cursed yourself.

“Ehm-” you dissembled your voice “I’m (fake name). Glad to meet you.” you said.
“PHAHAHAHA, who the fuck are you?! And, what the fuck are you?!” you heard Jean laugh.

‘Bastard!’ was all you could think about in this moment. Sure, when you had been beautiful, he was always the first one who tried to make a move on you and now, well now he didn’t waste a second to make fun of you.

Grabbing your bag, you tried to find a place where you could sit down, but every girl spread her legs so that you didn’t have place anymore and the boys were laughing at you.
You could feel the tears in the corners of your eyes as you saw their faces. Everybody tried its hardest not to laugh out loud. This was a totally new situation to you. You weren’t used to be someone the other made fun of and so you were so close to giving up after the first 10 minutes.

“Hey Monster, how come that you are inside the walls and not outside with the other butt faces?” you heard someone. Biting your bottom lip you were about to turn around as someone grabbed your wrist and pulled you back.
Turning around you were surprised to see Berthold. Cocking an eyebrow he released your grip and gestured with his hand on the free spot next to him.

“Wanna take a seat next to me...ehm... (fake name), isn’t it?”
“Y-yeah, sure.” you stuttered before you put your bag on the ground.

“C’mon, I know that you are too shy to make a move on girls, but do you have to choose the ugliest one to practice?” Jean sneered at him. Grabbing your ears you tried to hush his words, but the stronger you pressed against your ears, the louder he laughed at you.

“Jean, please stop it. You don’t even know her so stop making fun of her!” Berthold said before he grabbed your hands and pulled them off your ears.
“As you wish, Huber. You can have her all by yourself. No one else wants to have a monster like her.” Jean finished.

Leaning over to you, Berthold whispered in your ear, making sure no one heard him. “Don’t listen to him. He doesn’t know what he’s saying. Since you are already here, should I give you a quick tour?” Turning your head, you stared at him. Back then, you had never really realized that he even existed, but now he was the only one who showed interest in you. With a shy nod from your side, Berthold rose from his seat and extended his arm, helping you to get up. A genuine smile was shown on your disguised face before you gladly took his hand and heaved yourself off the seat.

-Time skip offered to you by a lazy author-

You were playing a new character for quite a long time now and you had even found some good friends. But still no one knew who you really were. It was difficult to hide yourself, especially when you had to shower, but you managed to avoid the other girls and went in the shower early in the morning when everybody else was still sleeping.
But one day, the inescapable situation came. While you were showering the door opened, revealing Sasha and Christa who had just joined you. Turning around you stared at them, your mask lying in the changing room and so there you stood, without your disguise.

“(F/N)?!” Sasha squeaked. “I MISSED YOU SO MUCH, (F/N)! SINCE WHEN ARE YOU HERE AGAIN?!”
“SSSHHHH.” you hushed her. “It’s much more complicated than it looks like.” you muttered.
“Then explain it to us.” Christa said.
Sighing you explained the situation to them. That you were (fake name) the whole time, and that you only want to find someone who loved you for your true self.
“Oh (f/n), this is soo cute!” Christa smiled as you finished.
“Please, keep this a secret, guys. Really! I’m serious; don’t tell anyone that (fake name) is me. And don’t call me (f/n) in public, okay?”
“Your secret is safe with us.” they said in union and you smiled to them.
It was good to know that they were happy to see you and won’t start gossiping about you.

In the dining hall a large group of people was gathered around Jean and as you and your friends entered the hall, you joined them, listening to what he had to say.

“You seriously kissed (f/n)?!” Eren shouted.
Sasha and Christa turned their head to you and you just slightly shook your head.
“Of course, and not only this.” Jean smirked before he held your bracelet up in the air. You believed that you had lost it somewhere in the forest and now that bastard held it in his hands. It was everything you had from your sister and he just stole it from you.
“She forgot it after...you know.” he laughed. Fuming you made your way through the crowd until you stood in front of him.

“JEAN! Give it back!”
“What do you want monster?”
“Give me my bracelet back!”
“Your bracelet? If I remember correctly (f/n) was beautiful and you are the complete opposite of her.”
Controlled by anger, you tore your fake nose, front, eyebrows and wig off your head before you stood in front of him, back in your true appearance.
Chocking his own saliva, Jean stared at you. And not only him, everybody in the dining hall stared at you.

“Firstly, I never kissed you. Secondly, we never had ‘you know’ and thirdly, GIVE ME MY BRACELET!” you yelled before snatching the bracelet out of his hand.
“Wait! So you want to tell me that it was you the whole time? Why did you disguise yourself?”
“To find someone who loves my true self and not my beauty!” you turned around until you could make out Berthold.
“Just like him.” you smiled before you walked up to him and placed a sweet kiss on his lips. Enveloping you in his arms, Berthold tilted his head down, making it easier for you to reach his lips. Your friends cheered as they saw how your lips moved against each other, how your arms were wrapped around his neck and how he pressed your frame tightly against his body.

“Why... why Berthold?” Eren asked.

-Flashback-

Berthold and you were walking through the forest before he grabbed a hold on your hand. Blushing you squeezed his hand before he stopped in his tracks.

“Ehm... (fake name)..I want to tell you something. I...really like you...you know.” he muttered, avoiding eye contact with you the whole time.
Eyes widening at his confession, you backed away from him, the guilt that swell in your chest almost suffocated you.
“Have I said something wrong?” he asked with even less confidence than before.
“No, no.” you slightly laughed. “I did something wrong.” you continued before you glanced up at him. “Would you still love me if I told you that I disguised myself?”
Eyes widening for a brief moment, Berthold smiled at you. “Of course I would. I love you. I don’t care about your looks.”
Tears dwelling in your eyes you removed your makeover and stood in front of him, nervously playing with your fingers while you stared at the ground.

“(f-f/n)?” he chocked.
“I’m sorry Berthold. I’m sorry that I lied to you. I understand you if you want to leave now.” you said while a few tears ran down your cheeks.
Grabbing your arm, he pulled you against his chest and nuzzled his head in your hair. “As I was saying, I don’t care about your looks; I love you, no matter what.”
Crying on his shirt, he gently pulled your head up before he shyly placed his lips on yours. Eyes widening for a brief moment, you threw your arms around his neck and arched your back towards him.
After what seemed like an eon, you two broke the kiss and you smiled up at him, his tanned face illuminated by the moon.
“I love you too.”

-Flashback end-

Sasha and Christa were crying as they listened to you.
Jealousy dwelled in every boy as they saw how Berthold protectively laid his arm around your shoulder and pulled you close to him.


It was evening when you packed your things and went to the boys’ dorm. To your surprise, Keith agreed to your request that you could sleep by the boys tonight. Probably because he knew that your father was going to have his head when he refused your biddings. Anyways. Knocking on the door, a blushing Berthold greeted your figure before he placed a shy kiss on your cheek. Stepping out of the way, he allowed you to enter the room. Stepping in the boys’ dorm, every one of them gawked at you. You were a girl, and not just any girl, and now you were in their dorm.
Smiling at the other soldiers as you passed them, you climbed on Berthold’s bunk, soon followed by himself.

“Yo, you two, we will hear everything you do!” Connie shouted.
“And I'll hear whatever name you moan.” you sneered back at him. Lying on his bed, Berthold lay behind you and soon grabbed your waist, pulling your back close to his chest. With a tender kiss on your nape, you fell asleep in his arms.



Rolling to the side, Reiner gazed at his friend who still looked at you.
“Berthold, are you awake?” he whispered.
“No, I’m sleeping.”
“Very funny. Why aren’t you sleeping yet?”
“I just....can’t believe that she chose me. She could have any boy, why me? It sounds hard but, I can’t really believe her. Why would someone like her choose a nobody like me?”

Sitting up , Reiner shifted towards his friend and pulled you out of his grip.

“Reiner?”
“Sh, I’ll show you that she loves you.” he answered.
As soon as Berthold’s warmth had left your side, you furrowed your brows in your sleep and rolled from one side to the other.

“And now?” Berthold asked.
“She can’t sleep when you aren’t beside her.” Reiner sighed. “Now look.” he said while he pushed you back towards Berthold. Back in his arms, your face softened and you smiled. Turning around, you nuzzled your face in his chest.
“Mhm...” you contently sighed in your sleep.

“Do you need another proof?” Reiner asked.
“Well, I’m still not sure whether-”´
”My Berthold. My comfortable Berthold. Hm~ I love him.” you mumbled against his chest.
“Berthold, I ask you again. Do you need another proof?”
“No I don’t think so.” he smiled before lying back down, snatching his hand around your waist.

“I love you.” he mumbled in your hair.
“Mh~ I love you too.” you mumbled in your sleep.