Chapter 3

Uh oh...Sorry for the long-month-without-update. I know I mentioned to some people that I was going to update on the weekend, but yaddah, yaddah, yaddah, something came up, and blah, blah, blah, I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. Please don't kill me~

Eren learned, quickly, that he hated both role call and Jean. Earlier this morning, when he had rushed to get in line, that jerk had decided to trip him. What was this, fucking high school? Woops. Language. Eren sighed. He was currently sitting alone at a table eating something that happened to look like it had already been eaten and regurgitated. Yuck. Part of him hoped that Levi would come over and eat with him, but he knew he was just pushing his luck to wish that much. Levi was already currently talking to a bunch of other scary guys at a table on the other side of the room, and if he was as dangerous as he said he was, Eren figured asking him to sit with him just because he was the only person he knew and because he didn't want to be lonely would seem weak.

As he sat there, moping about his luck, Eren heard someone call out to him. Whe he looked up to find the source of the beckoning, he saw it was a young, dark-haired, freckle-faced adult, possibly in his late teens to early twenties. When the caller saw he had finally gained Eren's attention, he motioned him over with a wave of his arm. Eren looked around, confused that he was possibly signaling someone else. Well, there was no one else near him, so Eren grabbed his tray (to avoid it being stolen), got up, and walked over.

"Uh, were you calling me?" Eren asked.

"Yeah, I was. Is that okay?" The other male asked, with a sudden look of concern in his eyes.

"Yes, of course!" Eren quickly replied. "Why wouldn't it be?" Wow, this guy was a softie. The quick answer seemed to reassure freckle-face as he let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Why don't you join us, then? You seem lonely over there by yourself." He gestured to a seat in front of him and Eren took it.

"Wow. Thank you. You're surprisingly considerate to be surrounded by so many other people that are...less considerate." Eren thought aloud, looking around at the other "less considerates". Freckle-face just laughed.

"Thanks. By the way, I don't believe I know your name? Mine is Marco."

"Well, thanks Marco. I'm Eren."

"And I'm Jean." Suddenly, a tray slammed down next to Marco.

"Um, I think I know who you are already." Eren said, glaring at Jean. "And now, Jean, I'd like to ask you why you tripped me this morning."

His glare was met by an equal one from Jean. "I don't owe you answers, Eren. I don't owe you anything. And now, I'd like to ask you why the hell you're over here."

"Jean, calm down. I invited him over." Marco calmly cut in. Jean's glare disappeared instantly.

"What? Why?"

"Well, he was sitting over there by himself and he looked lonely so-"

"So what!? His crybaby ass isn't my problem!" Jean slammed his hand on the table and turned to glare at Eren, but his attention was quickly whipped back to Marco when he heard faint sniffling.

"Aw, Marco, don't cry. I didn't mean-"

"Why won't you let him sit over here!? He's nice and he didn't do anything to you and you won't let me talk to anyone else without throwing a fit!" Marco's speech was cut off by gushing tears as he began to cry.

"But Marco, you don't know him! What if he tries to hurt you? What if he tries to get closer to you?"

"Stop being so jealous, I don't want your boyfriend! He was just nice and invited me over!" Eren argued. Geez, Levi wasn't kidding when he said to stay away from Marco. Jean was a paranoid, self-conscious turd. Jean glared at Eren.

"You stay out of this!" Jean growled and went back to comforting his boyfriend, but Eren was having none of that. Stay out of this? Oh, no. Eren was the reason this whole dispute started.

"How about, 'no'? What makes you think you can order me about, horse-face?" Uh oh. Jean's face turned bright red when he heard his nickname. Eren couldn't help it! When he heard Levi say it, the name had just secretly stuck in his mind. And it didn't help that it was oh-so fitting, either.

"What did you just call me?" Jean growled. And that's when he threw the first punch.