Full Summary:

Are you having relationship blues? Love Club going down in a bust? Bad friction going on in the love tracks? Well then, look no further and schedule a session at Connie's Counseling Services!

After the honeymoon phase, Jean and Marco's relationship starts going down a bumpy road. Apparently, Jean's been doing some things that doesn't particularly make Marco completely happy. For the most part, Marco usually tolerates it and brands it as "Jean just being Jean." This time, though, that concept's going haywire and maybe Jean being himself is too much for Marco to take on anymore.

It's a good thing, though, that everyone else but them is an employee at Connie's Counseling.

[ Author's Notes ]:

I'm sorry! This is just a quick fic I wrote at 3:00 AM and took me, like, thirty minutes.

I'm writing my other fic, I promise!

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"And how do you feel right now?"

At this, Jean seemingly perks up, sitting upright in his seat with a sniff of his nose.

"As in honestly?" The grin that he bares seems really humble—too humble. "Because, you know, I'm just feeling really damn peacky right now for missing my stupid show." Jean finishes with a scowl, an annoyed one pointing to the male sitting in front of them. "I'm also feeling pretty stupid but that might just be me."

A sigh is heard next to me, and when Jean turns to look to his right, showing a more tolerable and poignantly genuine expression, Marco points him a look of slight disapproval.

"Jean, this," Marco starts, gesturing towards the three man circle formed between them and Connie. "This is important. There's some issues that I feel we should talk about."

"I know we have issues." In all honesty, Jean didn't, somewhat. He knows there's something bothering Marco but he didn't think it would escalate into something like this. "But why are we having counseling? Or whatever the heck this is with Connie."

He doesn't want to sound desperate or disinterested because that would totally get Marco even more upset, but this is all a big waste of time and he seriously needs to get home before six o'clock to allow him enough prep time before The Bachelor showed.

"Shouldn't this kind of thing be just between us?"

It's obvious enough to Marco that what Jean really was concerned here was the possibility of missing Bachelor and not really what the real problem is at hand. In a tone that meant things shouldn't be argued, Marco shakes his head.

"No. I think this is better if we had a third person hear it out, just to get a view of things."

Despite making a f noise of complaint in his throat, Jean relents, although obviously reluctant. "Alright, fine, but why is Connie doing this?" He leans back in his seat, slinking down to his slouch. "His only relationship experience is Sasha, and they've only been going at it for a month."

"Well, Jean, you relationship is going end today if you keep complaining."

"What—!"

"Aaand!" In front of them, Connie bursts out with a piece of paper and a large yellow circle drawn in the middle of it. "Connie says yellow light! That means it's chill out time!"

Jean raises an eyebrow. "Connie, what the heck is that?"

"A yellow light." Connie puts it face down on his lap. "You should know what it means, Jean, since you failed your driver's written exam, like, three times before, right?"

"Why you—!"

"Jean, sit down."

And Jean does sit back down, properly, and with a small squeak of surprise slipping from his throat. That tone, that sickly-sweet and passive aggressive-sounding tone that Marco uses, means that Marco is mad. It also means that Jean just about hit Tier 3 in the Marco-Mad Meter and he should tread with caution.

Usually Jean doesn't hit Tier 3 in most days; sometimes, it's only always Tier 1, where Marco just sighs in a way that sounds like he's done with shit that Jean did. On rare days, Jean will hit Tier 1.5 or even Tier 2, where Marco just pouts and sulks and generally ignores Jean's well-being for a while, but none of that ever compares to Tier 4. Jean doesn't really know what happens when Tier 4 is hit because he's smart enough not to go that far, but a Tier 4 exists for a reason and Ymir is part of that reason. Apparently, Tier 4 can destroy a village—or at least pull of enough damage to cause a single class in to bury their final year of middle school in their memories.

Jean's still curious as to what Tier 4 is and what happened to give it the name but he's never going to push for it. Tier 4 is scary and he should be lucky that he doesn't get on Marco's nerves too much that go up to that.

Although, that luck could run out today; Marco is pissed and Jean can see it. After all, he did manage to bump it to Tier 3 after five months of a relationship.

"Are we good now?" Connie asks, looking between them. Marco's face isn't sour or angry, but rather, it's something a little bit more frightening—monotonous, poker-faced, and emotionless. Marco doesn't make those kind of faces. "I'm gonna start now." He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pair of glasses to put on his face.

"So, relationship talk! Let's get down to it—"

"Hey, wait," Jean interrupts, squinting his eyes as he leans forward towards Connie. "Are those Armin's reading glasses?"

All he could next to him is the sound of Marco slapping his forehead and sighing.

"Jean, focus."

"But Armin's been looking for them like crazy! Ask that shithead Eren too!"

"Okay, I get it.," Marco sounds tired; like, really tired. In all honesty, it's a tone new to Jean. "But for just a bit, can we get things moving? Please just stop, pay attention to nothing else, and listen to Connie. You've been acting like a kid lately."

That is a shocker. Marco calls him a kid from time to time but it's when their tumbling and cuddling around playfully, when he's just fooling around because Marco lets him. This time, being called a kid didn't sound like a signal for some playful foreplay.

"Yeah," Connie agree from the side, his lips curling into something lighter than smug but still just as arrogant because he knows Marco is on his side. "Stop being a kid and listen to Connie."

"And Connie, you shouldn't wear Armin's glasses. You'll damage your eyes." Marco scolds. "Also, return those to him, okay?"

As Connie removes the glasses off his face, Jean just glares at Connie, whisper-shouting, to him. "Butt out, man. This isn't the time for you to meddle."

"Uh, no," Marco shakes his head, eyeing Jean. "This is the time, because if you haven't noticed lately, I'm getting really peeved at you. Actually, no—I'm pissed off a lot nowadays. Don't you notice?"

And in that moment, Connie holds up another piece of paper; this time, one with a red circle drawn. Jean can't help but think that it was pretty good timing since he could tell Marco was getting dangerously close to Tier 3.5.

"Five minutes in and I'm already pulling out a red light." Connie looks just a bit awkward, if not worried; almost as if he really did not expect to pull it out. "Let's have a breather, yeah? Talk about something else maybe."

Jean agrees. Marco leans back, inhaling and exhaling deeply with his eyes closed.

"Connie, why do you even have these things?" Jean says, looking at the red circle just for clarity's sake. "Man, are you still in third grade? At least color in the lines."

"Shut up, man." Connie huffs, a bit indignant. "Sasha colored this for me because I almost forgot about it." And then his lips curl into this half-smirk and half-toothy grin as he continues almost dreamily, "Isn't she just awesome? I don't care what you say; she colors like rad."

"For a twenty-two year old, sure." Jean scoffs. "But it's also kinda lame."

"At least Sasha does something nice for him." Marco pipes up, looking at Jean. "Sometimes, Connie cooks for Sasha whenever he comes over to her dorm."

"Yeah, but just Mac n' Cheese though," Jean says weakly.

"But at least it's something." Marco finishes, looking Jean doesn't know why Marco looks like he's back at Tier 1, or maybe even lower than that, like Tier -1. It's not supposed to be like that. He's afraid of Tier 4, anyone who knows Marco also knows that Tier 4 is like messing with their college professor Levi on a bad day—no one gets out unscathed and the least bit mentally unscarred.

That being said, Jean can't figure out for the life of him why this Tier -1 sounds more than just completely awful, like Marco is more than just 'done' with him.

"Marco," Jean starts, sounding more solemn that he ever did. A little uncertain, he peers at him curiously. "Why do you sound like you're fed up with me?"

"I don't know, Jean, it's just…" And with an aggravated sigh, Marco just buries his face against the palms of his hands. "You've been making me mad lately and you just keep doing it. I mean, the shit that you do is just so…" He stops there, pausing. He then takes in a deep breath and shakes his head. Jean could only watch with a feeling of uncertainty that feels so foreign to him.

Looking at his cell phone, Marco stands up, grabbing for his stuff on Connie's bed.

"I have work in an hour." He mutters and then looks at Connie. "Listen, Connie, thanks for your help. I'm sorry we didn't really get to much.:

"No problem, man," Connie says, eyeing Jean. "Anytime, you know. I actually had this whole talk session thing I planned, but maybe…next time?"

"Maybe." Marco mutters once again, maneuvering himself out of his chair to head for the doorway.

"Wait," Jean says, grabbing Marco by the sleeve and stopping him from actually leaving. In front of others, Jean rarely does anything that makes him look any lesser than a man with pride.

However, Marco is just about to leave him, looking for the world so devastated and disappointment in him like their relationship could be over, and Jean couldn't help but show himself and sound so desperate. It didn't matter to him that Connie is right there, watching his face twist into something like fear and teary-eyed.

Marco never did anything like this before. Marco never leaves things like this between them.

"Marco, can't you tell what I did wrong?"

"Sometimes," Marco starts, his lips pursing together. "It might just be nice if you could figure it out yourself instead of having me tell you, Jean." Although a little hesitant, he removes himself from Jean's grip. "And sometimes, it's pretty obvious. I think it's just a matter of you paying attention, Jean."

And that catches Jean's tongue—made him completely at a loss for words.

He's always paying attention to Marco—when he comes over to Marco's apartment, when he and Marco have sex, when he takes Marco out on dates.

Since when did he not?

But Marco is honest, and Jean likes that; only this time, as Marco makes his way out of Connie's room, not even bothering to kiss him goodbye, he can only wish that Marco wasn't telling the truth just this once.

"Jean, man, what'd you do?"

"I don't know," Jean admits, quite shamefully too because this is the first time he's seen like Marco like this—not even in their three months of dating, and not even in their two years of friendship before that. "But I think I messed up."

You're my end and my beginning.