Ride'em Cowboys
chapter 9
A different kind of Bell ringing
"If he calls one more time I swear to the heavens above I'm unplugging the phone!"
Marco glared at the device hanging quietly on the wall. He pushed the scrambled eggs around on his plate in agitation but Armin simply told him it was just some people prank calling them. By now it had been a week since the fight in the parking lot and the only traces of it ever occurring was the tiny scar that had formed on Armin's cheek from when it was split open from the punches he received. Other than that the two boys were fine and had gotten back into their normal routine.
"I swear they aren't prank calling us and it's giving me creeps. Like they're asking personal questions and shit and it's just..." Marco's voice trailed off into annoyed grunts as he crossed his arms against his chest. "Marco it's fine, once they see that they aren't getting a funny reaction from us they'll just give up or something." Armin muttered as he bit into the apple that he deemed worthy of a healthy breakfast, which if you asked Marco was not enough.
Since Armin had been bed ridden for a while Marco had been helping with the animals, simply feeding and mucking the stalls and all, it was too cold for them to be out in the kind of weather they were having. Currently the snow was gently fluttering down from the grey puffy sky, but the radio said that it'll be a lot worse by the time night fell upon them. Not only was all of this happening, Christmas was coming closer and closer around the corner.
Marco placed his fork down and sighed, Armin was a hard person to buy for. "What do you want this year for Christmas?" He asked him as he looked up at him. "I don't know...maybe...maybe we..mmmh..." Armin muttered as he looked down at his lap. "Spit it out." Marco said, wondering what the other wanted. "Could we get a dog? Not for like the farm or anything, but...but for us?" He asked him, a simple blush spreading slowly across his cheeks. Marco gave a soft laugh and pressed his cheek against the palm of his hand. "I think that's a good idea. Maybe like a guard dog to watch the house while we're gone?" Marco offered. "Okay, but he's still, ya'know a dog that we can play with and stuff." Armin said. "Yes, yes." Marco said, happy he saw the blue eyed teen smiling again.
So they had both deiced that they'd go the next day into town and head to the local pound to get the new member of their little family.
"Finley, no! Bad dog!"
Armin said as he chased the poor little puppy dog around the living room. The young German Shepard collie mix was the cutest thing either teen had ever seen, the little pup though had part of his right ear torn off from a bad breeder and was brought to the pound. The young mutt had now made it a habit of stealing Armin's socks and chewing them up.
Marco watched from the couch and placed his book down on his lap as he watched the blonde chase the happy puppy, thinking they were playing tag. He laughed softly as Armin finally got half of his sock back. Huffing he sat down on the couch along with Marco and simply just threw the white cloth back down on the floor, which Finley quickly picked back up. "Aw, how can you be mad at a face like that?" Marco giggled as he picked his book back up and looked to were he had left off.
The blonde teen glared at the bookworm and then looked down at Finley who was wagging his tail and staring up at Armin. Finley then got up and started to bark loudly, heading towards the door. "Again? You went to the bathroom an hour ago." Armin spoke to the dog but he kept barking and was now clawing at the back door. The blonde sighed as he gave in and stood up. "I'll be back, I have to take Finley back out." He told Marco who mumbled something under his breath as he turned another page of his thick novel.
Armin pulled on his snow boots, threw on his jacket, scarf, hat and gloves and put Finley's collar on him and let him out. He made sure the door was shut tight behind him so that none of the heat was seeping out. He turned to see Finley sniffing around one of the trees in back and do his thing and then wandered over to the barn doors. Finley started to sniff around and then began to paw at the door, barking to be let in. Armin rolled his eyes and then laughed as his dog started to roll over in the snow and started to whine. "Alright, Fin I'll let ya in." He said and started to head towards the barn. It took a minute to open the doors since over last few days a lot of snow had been piling up on the ground. Once he did, Finley bolted inside to go look around.
"Maybe King can give you a lesson on manners." Armin said and closed the door behind him. His blue eyes watched the young pup as he sniffed around and walked by the horse stalls. He went up to Howler's stall and started to bark at him. 'Great, start a yelling contest from the horse that can't shut up.' Armin thought and walked down the stalls and into King's stall. "Hey, buddy." Armin said and ruffled his mane, leaving his hand there for a minute. "You hoping this storm isn't that bad either huh?" He laughed and went over to the side and got a grooming brush and deiced to work his stress away.
Finley came sniffing around King's stall door and the two looked at each for a moment. The large stallion snorted and the mutt barked, wagging his tail and coming up to the horse falling in front of it and rolling on his back. Armin laughed at the two of them. "Find a new playmate huh big boy?" He said and stared off into space for a moment.
'I wounder if Erwin likes dogs?'
Armin shook his head, that didn't matter at the moment and continued brushing King's coat. It close to a half hour before he was done and started to feed the rest of the horses, Finley trailing as he did so. He busied himself for a while until he deiced that it'd be best to start heading back inside and feed Finley, since he noticed the puppy try and eat the hey from King's stall a few times. He place the horse food in the back in the small storage closet and locked the door.
As the young blonde turned off the lights in back he heard the squeaking of the doors in front being opened. "Marco?" Armin called from the back as he placed a few brushes back in their spots as well. He didn't hear the other teen respond and looked down at Finley who was stalking toward the main hallway towards the stalls. The young dog's ear folded back and started to bark and snarl, which wasn't as threatening as he looked, and sounded like little squeaks instead of fierce growling.
"Finley what's wrong boy?" He asked him, but he kept barking and growling. Armin quickly looked around and scooped up a short shovel he had stored in the back close to closet and slowly crept over towards Finley. The blonde teen pressed himself against the side of the stall and slowly made his way towards the edge of it. He held the shovel close to him and raised it above his head, ready for whoever it was to make a move, when Finley darted down the the way and towards the person. Panicking, Armin dropped the shovel and stumbled forward to try and catch the puppy.
"Finley no!"
Marco sighed as he started the next chapter in his book.
He wonder what it would be like to have an actual wedding someday, and the way the author wrote about it in this book made him jealous for some of the girls getting married to all of these gorgeous men, it truly wasn't fair. The freckled teen rolled over on his stomach and rested his chin against the couch's arm rest, holding the book out in front of him. Marco stared at the little picture above the chapter number in his novel and sighed again.
His finger traced over the tiny little groom that was printed on the paper. Marco's mind traced itself back to when Jean and him went to the movies and how handsome he looked. He wonder what he'd look like in a suit, or uniform or maybe...The freckled teen closed his book loudly and placed it on the tiny side table. He didn't want to think about him, no he was done with him, over it. Period.
Shifted his position he laid down on the couch and deiced to take a nap until Armin came back inside with Finley and they had to start dinner soon. He grabbed the spare blanket that was draped over the top of the couch and pulled it over him, curling up in a small ball. Relaxing his tried eyes, a small smile graced his lips at the thought of sleeping.
An hour passed by quickly, but Marco still slept soundly, playing and teaching Finley had finally caught up with him, and those late night reading book after book. He didn't even realize that Armin had been out for well over an hour now with Finley. Nor did the young teen realize that the front door was being opened either slowly and quietly. Marco didn't hear the door shut, and he didn't hear someone walk into the living room.
Marco shifted on the couch as his sleeping mind half registered that someone was sitting next to him. Something brushed against his hair line, then lower and lower until he felt something wet and cold against his cheek. "Hmmm, Finley bad boy..." Marco mumbled in his sleep and moved his hand to push the dog away from him and continued sleeping. "Ya know, you'd think after all this time I would've thought you'd have learned to lock the front door when you take a cat nap sweet cheeks."
Dogs did not talk.
Dogs do not call their owners sweet cheeks.
The young teen's eyes shot open with a start and sat up in his spot. "And who's Finley by the way? Already got yourself a new guy, I'm hurt."
That grin...
That stupid, cocky, childish, selfish, wonderful, sexy fucking grin.
"J-Jean..."
"Your one and only."
Marco was frozen in his spot for what seemed like forever. His hand reached out and gently touched Jean's cheek, checking to make sure that he was here, and that this wasn't some twisted dream he was having. "You...you're here, you're actually he-here..." Marco spoke softly, his voice crackling. "And it's where I want to be for a long time." Jean said and ran his hand through Marco's hair. They stared into each others eyes and Jean brought Marco in for a tight hug, burying his face into that freckled neck of his that he loved.
He didn't have to say anything to know that Marco was crying silently, the way his shoulders trembled against and the tiny sniffles were enough, and Jean was a lying bastard if he said that he wasn't crying either from being away from him. Marco's hands gripped Jean's shirt tightly and moved his head back so that he could see Jean's watery eyes. "Why...I thought-" "Erwin pulled a few string with the higher ups, and I was able to push for our transfer." Jean said smiling, "We're awesome right?"
"Just kiss me you idiot."
All the feelings Marco was trying so desperately trying to throw away came back full blast and never knew why in the first place he was trying to suppress them.
And if that kiss right then and there wasn't the best kiss he'd very had, then he didn't know what would be.
Marco felt Jean's lips molding themselves against his own and when he opened his mouth, he responded immediately with opening his as well. He felt his back hit the couch cushion and Jean get on top of him, deepening the kiss. "I've missed you so much." Jean muttered as he moved down to kiss his cheek and then neck. "I've missed you too, oh god Jean, I've missed everything and-" Jean silenced Marco with a kiss chuckling softly afterwards. "I know, and I promise I won't leave you again." Jean told him, staring stupidly at him and gave his freckled nose a kiss.
The two continued their make-out session for a few more minutes, when they were interrupted by loud noises outside. Marco looked up at Jean, "Please tell me that was a car driving by." Marco said, but both knew that wasn't case as more noises came from the back of the house. "Either Erwin and Armin are making up for lost time or Armin is trying to bury him alive." Jean said and looked down at the other.
Erwin was expecting a lot of things to happen.
He expected Armin to flat out reject him, he had even prepared himself for the other to slap him across the face, or even punch him over and over in the chest because the scene...the man that he loved that was in front of him was crying his heart out on his knees and he knew that it was his fault and he was not prepared for that wave of guilt.
The moment Armin had turned the corner and saw him he fell to his knees without a sound coming from him. The younger blonde then covered his face with his hands as he started sobbing loudly. Erwin ran over to him and dropped to his knees next to him. "Armin, Armin...Armin it's okay, I mean what's wrong do you-"
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I take everything back! I-I wanted to take everything I said back the mo-moment I said it and I'm sorry I didn't really hate you Erwin...I-I-I."
Armin voice broke off as he started crying harder, hiccuping a few times until he couldn't speak anymore. Erwin held Armin close, holding him tight because he was so afraid that if he didn't they might have to be separated again. "I know, I know you didn't mean it, believe me. I'm sorry I had to do this to you." Erwin said, placing his hand on the back of Armin head as he continued to cry over how much he missed him.
A short while after, when Armin could speak properly, he looked at Erwin without saying anything. "I love you." Erwin said before Armin could open his mouth up. "And I've missed you so much, but I'm glad that I'm here." He told him, kissing him softly. Armin closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around his neck and adjusted himself on Erwin's lap. "I've missed you too." Armin said in a breathless whisper to Erwin's ear and it made the older blonde shiver slightly.
Erwin's fingers tangled themselves in Armin's beautiful hair and smiled into the kiss as he a tiny little, muffled moan from the younger blonde, but before he could go any further they were interrupted by a four legged fiend barking next to them. "Finley..." Armin said with a tiny smile. "More like cockblock." "Hey, don't talk to Finley like that." He said, pouting at Erwin.
"Yeah, whatever I'm just glad my message got to you." Erwin said. Armin tilted his head to the side not understanding what he meant. "What message?" He asked. "The letter under your pillow." "The letter under-oh..."
"Did you not find it? That might've been a stupid place to hide it."
"Oh no I found it...I just never opened it." Armin muttered shyly. "You didn't what?" Erwin looked at Armin who laughed nervously. "Um yeah, I was kinda upset about they whole you guys are leaving forever thing and didn't want to read...and then kinda just kept it in my nightstand." Armin mumbled and played with his fingers. "Armin..." Erwin said his name with a sigh, "that letter explained that I was going to ask for a transfer to this district for work and that me and Jean would come back to the both of you." Erwin said. "Oh...was, was that it?" "Well it might have said a few inappropriate things for your eyes only to read but I can just tell about them right now-"
The doors to the barn door were slammed opened and both blondes whipped their heads around to see a cackling Jean and pissed off Marco standing at the front of the barn.
From where he was sitting, Armin could see Marco holding a letter in his tightly clenched fist, and that his eyes were burning holes through Armin's being. Marco started walking over to Armin, shaking the letter in front of him.
"Armin Arlert you are so dead!"
"Oh shit..."
The End
A/N: Bam! This was the last chapter for Ride'em Cowboys! I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I had fun writing this! Please review if you want to see more stories like this or any other Attack on Titan pairings! (I will take request!) It would be a great help! Thank you to everyone who has already review and favorited this story it really does mean a lot to me and I can't wait to hear from you all!
fictionrosepoem
