Author's Note: Near the end there are kinda big spoilers so if you really don't want to find out some stuff (I mean it's mild and there's not any detail with it) then I'd suggest not reading the ending or the story at all.

There had been a flurry of stories circulating around due to some of the most recent scouting expeditions. The new trainees were always enlightened by their superiors on their first days and told that hopefully be able to experience exactly what they had seen.
"We call it the 'gentle titan,'" his voice was loud and clear as he announced it to the 104th squad members now joined as trainees to the Scouting Legion. "We've seen this titan multiple times after humanity's victory in Trost just...watching us as we pass it by. Squad leader Hanji had a close encounter with this titan and surprisingly came unscathed and overly excited. Apparently it was trying to communicate but when we turned back it had vanished."
Armin had raised his hand first and asked without hesitation,"do you think that it's a titan-shifter like Eren?"
"It's highly unlikely," the answer took them all for a loop. "At the time, we don't have any news of any more shifters like Eren so it's more likely that this is a deviant-class titan we're dealing with. Our squad leader has commanded us not to harm this particular titan unless it does any harm back to us. But it seems like she's interested in capturing this particular...she's lost her mind though. It's a 15-meter class..."
"What if it does turn on us?"
"Then y'd better pray because that thing wouldn't let you live longer after that..." He grumbled and rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. "C'mon, let me show you where..."

"Jean!" He didn't have time to react as some tremendous force knocked him and his horse hundreds of feet away. They flopped around like rag dolls, Jean's 3DMG falling apart and his spare, un-dulled blades flying in any which direction but his own.
It took a minute to recuperate after his painful crash and the two things he noticed was the slowly-incoming titan and Armin coming towards him from the side. "Get out of here...!" He snapped as he desperately tried to get the other to stop. "Just...get on with the mission Armin! I'll be alright!"
"But Jean-!"
"Go!" At the crescendo, Armin turned his horse and with one last look went back to the formation. Behind him the heavy footsteps of a titan came closer and not much farther off came a faster, heavier pair.
Taking the blades at his side he tried to see if his maneuver gear would work to see the grapple hooks fail to shoot. the situation was sickeningly too familiar only now there was no extra gear and Marco wasn't...

He sighed and dropped the blades with a terrified look on his face. "Damn it all...this really sucks..."
He watched the slower-moving titan slowly come closer in vain. Time moved at a sluggish pace until his body was finally crushed and being brought close to it's mouth. The rank smell of blood and of the dead sickened him to the point of wanting to vomit and the body heat was beginning to suffocate him.
Without warning, the titan lurched and was sent away with Jean being lost from it's grip and being sent tumbling away once again while his body screamed in pain and agony. He was suddenly picked up again, a smirk playing on his lips weakly as he assumed his death was imminent.
"So...you wanted me all...to yourself then...huh...?" He huffed as he was laid out on the creature's palm. Too tired to care he laid there for a long moment without realizing he wasn't being painfully chewed and digested by it. "The hell is wrong with you...?"
Something lightly took his hood - which had flipped up when he was laid on the titan's palm - and lifted it off his bleeding head. For a moment he sat still, wondering if it was going to do anything before slowly looking up at it's face to see an almost surprised look on it's own mug.
Yet he felt something inside shift when he noticed some of the characteristics of it from the hair to what looked like freckles beneath it's eyes. "Y...You're the gentle titan, aren't ya...? T...That's why ya haven't...made a meal of my yet...isn't it...? You were...trying to communicate with our squad leader...right...? Why...?"
He was trying his best to hide his panic and keep his voice low as to not scare the titan into eating him. To his surprise though, it reached over with the other hand and used it's index finger to brush at his forehead where blood was oozing from a rather large gash on his forehead.
"Are...you a human...? Are you like Eren...?" He asked once more to notice why he had been feeling nostalgia. "Y...You're not...M...Marco...?"
He was surprised to see a sort of smile appear on it's face. The titan had started walking again, being very weary of the small person in it's hand. Once more with the more gentle touch, it made Jean lay down then carefully wrapped it's fingers around the limp body.
"Marco...what happened to you...?" He asked and completely ignoring that it was trying to make him rest. Shakily he managed onto his forearms,"you were...! There's no way you could've...! Marco!?"
But he cries remained in vain for there wasn't a response; all it did was exhaust him to the point of finally laying his aching body down and fall asleep in the gentle titan's custody.

"Excuse me," the soldier turned his head, met with the sight of a cloaked soldier carrying another haphazardly into the room. "There was a titan...that...gentle titan was it...? It just left him...! B-But he's really hurt right now...!"
"Don't just stand there; bring 'em in!" The other snapped gruffly as he led the unknown teen to the infirmary. "'Sides, shouldn't you be out with the others on the expedition. That is a Scouting Legion cloak you're wearing, isn't it?"
"A-Ah, yeah. Well-"
"And I don't think I've ever seen you around either." He came up closer and inspected the almost childish expression on the other's face. "I'm a new trainee who was coming from Trost a-and they didn't know what they were gunna do with him."
The man raised a brow but said nothing back about his complete suspicious. He was wearing his 3DMG and exhausted by the looks of it. There was no way that his story was true. But the other person he had with him, Jean Kirschstein, he had seen leave earlier that day.
"Just set him down and get back to...whatever it was you were doing." And he left the room. He was standing outside so the 'soldier' had to be quick in what he was doing.
The first bed he immediately laid Jean down and took off his hood to reveal a gentle smile from Marco Bodt; deceased. "Darn it Jean...you really are a blockhead aren't you...? If you would've taken a few minutes to calm down..."
"You done in there, sprout?"
"In a second! I just wanna make sure his head stops bleeding!" Taking the hem of his white shirt, he ripped off a strip and gently wrapped his head up. "I'll be back to see you later then..."
With that, he opened the nearest window and swung away without capture. The one soldier came back in to see the curtains wavering in the wind and Jean unharmed where he laid.

"Will you two shut up...! You'll wake him up...!" Jean heard a harsh whisper as he started to come too, not even able to twitch without pain rippling through every muscle. "Honestly..."
"He'll be alright though. I just wanna know what the hell happened!"
"Connie, shut up!"
"Look, you woke him up." Jean was barely able to prop himself up on his elbows and was winded once he had settled again. "Jean, how are you?"
"About as good as anyone who's been tossed 500 meters twice and nearly getting eaten...again..." He sighed and laid himself back down against the cool sheets. "That...that 'gentle titan' or whatever...I don't think it's a deviant-class..."
"You think it's a human?"
"I really wouldn't doubt it for a second..." He grumbled noticing that Marco wasn't a face among them. It was quickly obvious that maybe he was wrong. "It didn't hurt me...it just kinda...picked me up and protected me..."
"You must've been hit in the head...you've obviously got a screw loose." Eren snapped back with arms crossed. "Whatever happened, it wasn't that. We saw that damn thing carrying you away clamped shut in it's hand. That thing was out for you and probably got attacked by the wall."
Jean struggled to sit up again, ready to tell Eren off and say he was as wrong as could be. But he didn't want to mention he knew who was the gentle titan. He swallowed his pride - as much as he honestly hated it - and admitted,"I guess so...I'm just talking crazy."
His response took everyone by surprise while Connie added,"you really did hit your head, didn't you?"
"I guess..." He grinned weakly back. "But be sure that when I'm better, I'm kicking the crap out of both of you..."

The next time he had woken up there was a figure in the darkness of the room staring back at him. He didn't need to guess; there wasn't anybody else who'd really bother him while everyone was asleep. "Why haven't you told them you're alive...?"
"Why did you waste all your energy and pass out before I could answer your question from before? Which I'll be glad to answer in a minute." He smiled and laid gently down beside Jean to not strain him further. "They all think I'm dead Jean...you saw what I am too. I don't want to be held in custody or become humanity's puppet like Eren...we're different."
"But you could've told me!" He snapped back, sitting up to be lowered slowly once more by Marco. "Why didn't you tell me!? You know that I saw you at Trost, didn't you!?"
"Jean, calm down!" He said loudly back, letting silence settle in a moment before continuing in a lower tone. "Jean...I'm a monster. I'm not a human...I don't deserve to be here right now..."
"Shut up...!" The other snapped and incased Marco in his arms to shut him up. "I don't care if your human or titan...you're my friend...Marco...nothing more and nothing less..."
"Annie...Annie, Reiner and Berthold..." He murmured lowly into Jean's shirt. "I found them out too...they tried to get rid of me and Annie took my 3DMG afterwards...I don't know why-"
"To pass the inspection to go into the Military Police. Her gear was destroyed." Jean filled in and held him closer as if afraid to loose him once more. "You're leaving after I fall asleep aren't you?"
"I have to Jean..." He laughed quietly to himself and cuddled closer to get comfortable. "It's funny how everything's been since we were trainees, huh? I can't believe Eren managed to talk you into the Scouting Legion. You had your heart set on-"
"Eren didn't convince me to join," Jean cut off sharply, looking over at Marco with a serious glance. "It was your death that pushed me over the edge...that fear of who was next to die...idiot, I couldn't just stand there and think about all of them dying like you did...!"
Silence settled back in as the two began to relax once more. Jean shut his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Can you promise me one more thing Marco...before I fall asleep and never see you again...promise you'll always be close by."
Marco laughed softly again and kissed Jean's forehead lightly. "You make it sound like I haven't been here...that woman...I was trying to see if she knew Eren or the others...I've been trying to find you for a long while Jean...now that I know I'll be watching over you and them like an angel I guess..."
Seeing Jean starting to nod off he smiled. "Good night then Jean...I'll see you soon." By morning Jean was alone with a relieved look on his face and a slight smile cornering his lips.