A/N: hiii it's me again! I thought maybe I'd have a crack at continuing it. not exactly sure how to proceed but I guess I'll get there! I have a few plans :) anyway, some reviews would be super super good in helping the story get better, so I'd really appreciate if you just took some time to do so! Please enjoy. Additionally, if you're a sherlock fan, i may be posting something quite soon in that category, so if that happens, check it out! THANK YOU SO MUCH ~~ littleliebling


Empty.

Again.

What the fuck?

How, after only a week, was my cupboard empty, devoid completely of all food?

The taste of the last protein bar still lingered teasingly in my mouth as I slammed the flimsy door of the pantry closed. I stormed to the fridge, tugging it open and glaring at the limited contents - a carton of sour milk and half a packet of tofu. I cursed to myself and stretched. It's too early for this shit, I thought to myself. All I wanted was a little extra nourishment besides that measly protein bar for breakfast, a bit of instant gratification, but apparently not. I made my way sulkily to the 'living room' (which actually served as a bedroom, storage room and living room) of my apartment to search for my wallet, silently accepting a fate of supermarkets and early morning queues.

I grabbed the ratty pocketbook, my phone and my keys, then wriggled into my shoes and exited the apartment. In the hallway, the air was cold - the central heating here sucked royally - and I power-walked my way to the stairs. I was keen to get out lest Eren noticed I was leaving. That guy never missed a chance to harass me, and despite knowing how immature it was, I always took the bait. We were actually pretty good friends; we just quarrelled like brothers. We were both real assholes, I guess - always angry and pissed off - but it was nice to have somebody to fight with.

I made it out without trouble, fortunately, and jogged loosely to the bus stop, just across the road. The world around me was grey and crisp, and I had a feeling it would be snowing soon. Jesus, I thought, it is so cold today. I felt the hairs on my arms prickle and I looked down to see goosebumps covering my skin.I exhaled, spotting the bus trundling it's way slowly down the street. Mist billowed around me and blew back in my face. It never ceased to excite me, being able to see my breath like that - childish, I know, but what can I say?

Grunting and whirring as it stopped in front of me, the bus opened it's doors and I stepped up inside. I greeted the driver lazily and payed for my ticket, then moved quickly to the back. Being an early Saturday morning, the bus was pretty empty. As soon as I sat down, my phone buzzed - you've recieved a text message, I mimicked in my head. I wriggled up on one butt cheek and dug it out of my back pocket. I pressed the home button and the screen flickered to life, displaying the time and underneath, a text message.

From Marco. I smiled devilishly to myself, trying to stop the smirk that was etching itself perpetually into my face. I entered my phone's passcode and lazily scrolled to the messages, pausing to wipe a fingerprint off the screen.

Hey Jean, you free this afternoon? I'm busy this morning, but we could get a coffee later if you want?

I smiled. He always ended his texts in a question. We'd been messaging back and forth for maybe a week so far and fuck, he was the cutest thing. This was the first time, though, that either of us had proposed hanging out together. I replied back with an eager hell yeah - that place next to the bookshop okay? and put my phone back in my pocket, trying to resist the urge to check it every few seconds.

I rocked backwards and forwards in my seat, watching the world crawl past from the bus window. It was so goddamn cold in here... I wrapped my arms around myself and scowled - then I realised something. I looked downward abruptly and... look at that, I hadn't grabbed a fucking jacket. Well that explains why you're so freezing, dickhead, I reprimanded myself, you went out in soon-to-be-snowy weather in a T-shirt. Resisting the urge to openly and literally facepalm, I pulled my arms inside the sleeves of the shirt - the way everyone used to do in grade school ("look Jean, I have no arrrrrms").

I was just getting kind of comfy and a little less chilly when the bus rounded the corner before my stop. I spotted the supermarket just up the road, and reached out an arm to press the button, before adjusting my T-shirt properly. The bus jerked to a halt and I saluted the driver in the mirror, then swung off the bus into the frigid air outside. My teeth chattered as I loped towards the store. It looked so inviting and warm, the lights glowing a cosy yellow in the fog. I crossed the carpark, managing not to get squished into a pancake by any passing vehicles and crossed the threshold of the store.

The blast of warm air brushed my face as I stepped in, but once I was completely indoors it wasn't actually that hot. I still felt chilled, but the shivering had subsided slightly, which was a plus. I was already getting a couple of weird looks from people, all like why the fuck is that idiot wearing short sleeves in the middle of winter wow, but I just glared at the main offenders and retreated into an isle.

I scanned the shelves and realised this was the cereal section - not likely to find bread or any of the other items I needed here. I made a mental checklist, skimming over the basic necessities - milk, bread, tofu, fruit & veg, etc.

Fuck it, I can't be bothered.

I shoved my hands into my pockets and trudged to the next isle - health food, vegetarian products, etcetera etcetera. I looked down at the floor, vaguely wondering how my shoes got into such a derelict and broken state. I scanned the shelves impatiently. Luckily it didn't take that long to find the tofu - I spotted it within a couple of seconds, actually. However, there was to be a slight complication in the retrieval of it.

As I took an excited step forwards to grab the item of interest, my foot rolled sidewards painfully and I stumbled to my right. I managed to knock something over with my rapidly windmilling arms, and was about to right myself when it all got worse and I tripped over one of those stupid footstools short people use to reach the top shelf. I crashed to the floor, probably shaking the very foundations of the building in the process. I pitied the other customers in the store. They probably felt the ground shake.

I heard an angry voice yell "someone help the idiot in isle seven!" and I attempted to scrabble to my feet, abashed and flabbergasted, but I failed miserably and slipped back onto my ass again. I felt a burning desire to stand up and run. I so did not need some random employee fussing about me and picking corn nuts up from around my rotting corpse.

"Jean?" someone said.

I looked up into a freckled face and big brown eyes.

Marco.

Oh fuck.