Chapter 10

When he was coming back from the rooms where they had put their so cumbersome equipment, Marco had let his comrades take him with them without taking a few minutes to rest. The idea of thinking about something else, all together around a large table for a few hours with a simple game was actually the best idea for the most of them. And he quite agreed with that.

He stretched slightly, feeling all stiff after such a long training fly, then straddled a bench to sit with his friends, laughing with them to some jokes. Small bowls full of porridge were here and he took one with some pleasure.

Sometimes, between two slow spoons, he raised his eyes, looking for the usual thin face. And he was more and more surprised not to see him appear. Jean still wasn't here even though he took part of the first training session of the day; He'd really had like to know the result of the day from Jean himself and know if everything had been ok.

As he saw Wagner entering the room yawning, Marco called him with his hand and waited patiently for the boy to come.

"Didn't see Jean? I thought he'd be here for a moment…"

Wagner raised an eyebrow, visibly surprised and ill-at-ease. Or rather, he didn't know what expression would be the best: everybody knew both Jean and Marco were inseparable, so he was hugely surprised that Marco still didn't know.

"Well, I guess he's still in the nursery, if you didn't see him…," he started, searching a little how to begin with the subject.

Wagner felt a bit scared when Marco suddenly stood up, about to fall off the bench that blocked his legs. But he had to admit a certain lack of credibility from the brown boy when the spoon agitated a little under his nose, threatening.

"What did you say!?"

"Shhh, calm down…"

"Thomas!"

Thomas sighed and took Marco by the shoulder to take him apart. Some looks already were on him, curious, and even if Jean's new accident was a secret for those who were present at that moment, no one had talked about it.

"Jean fell again", Thomas said softly, trying not to avoid Marco's gaze when he saw his face decomposing right away. "D-don't look at me like that! Seems he was ok, Eren caught him in the fall…"

"Why did nobody said a word about it?" Marco hissed, as nervous as worried.

"Maybe cause it wasn't his best moment," Wagner hesitated with a look for the table where there were more and more gathering people.

Marco scowled and took Wagner by the shoulders to another table where they'd be more quiet. He made him sit by his sides and crossed his arms on the wood of the table.

"Tell me," he said.

Thomas sighed and put his chin on his palm, looking Marco in the corner of his eyes.

"Honestly, we didn't really need to go and take a barrow," he started before regretting his own words. Marco was already reacting.

"You said there was nothing serious…!"

"B-but that's true! Eren is very good, be sure Jean may have not even feel anything!"

"So what are you…"

"Let me finish!"

Marco tightened his lips, trying to calm himself down. It was quite hard to him to make the effort to listen and wait at the same time when he could already be by Jean's sides and check if everything was fine. Thomas crossed his arms and shaked his head.

"Well, the problem is…Jean is…How to say? It looked like some crisis, I've already heard of it but…When you see it for real, that's so impressive! I think they talked about hyperventilating, something that way…I really thought he was dying, that was hella scary!

Marco was really trying to listen quietly. His hands might betray his nervousness, rubbing his own cheeks to refresh them a second then joining, squirming, playing with his spoon he put on the table then was it taking back before going back to his own face. He should have been present.

"And then?"

"He was so rigid and shaking so much he couldn't stand up, so we went to take the barrow and bring him…The instructor was furious! But well, letting his own anxieties overwelhm him in a simple training, with our level, it's just…

""You left him alone?" Marco cut him.

"Uh? Nah, Eren stayed…"

Marco breathed slowly then gave a eye to the people behind them. Eren also wasn't there. Maybe still with Jean?

So he stood up, under Wagner's perplex gaze who imitated him.

"Where are you going?"

"Blacking my boots!" Marco growled with a quick hand gesture.

With a head sign, he meant tot Connie that he was leaving, then took the corridors. It was cooler there and it wasn't so unpleasant; he felt a bit hot after that, abnormally shaken. He could understand the reactions from the others about Jean's honor but they really didn't have not to talk to…To? His friends? Close to him? Himself?

He calmed down all of a sudden and slowed his walk. Why him, actually? How could he even talk about a particular proximity with the boy? And if it would be the case, why should they care? They weren't in a case where friendship, whatever they could be, could give advantages. So, maybe it was normal.

The nursery door was slightly opened. Some noise inside comforted him and he quickly knocked before going in. But all he found inside was Gunther, sitting with a box and blades in it, on his knees. He was busy checking the equipment. The man raised his eyes and lift an eyebrow then smiled when he recognized Marco.

"Hey! That's the day…" he said agitating his screwdriver to the boy.

"Ah, uh, you are…Gunther?" Marco hesitated, coming closer.

He looked all around in the room, paling a little when he saw the blood in the barrow. At the same moment he cursed Wagner and his fucking weird notion of seriousness.

Gunther let him do and sighed. "Oh, that…Things that happens, we were just lucky to arrive on time…!"

Marco gave him a uncomprehending look, visibly ready to hear the worst things. The man took his time and finished closing the body of the gear box before taking care of him again.

"What are you looking for?"

"I-I've been told that Jean –my friend actually, had been brought here today…"

Gunther stared at him a moment and scowled, looking surprised.

"You're a bit late, he went out before with someone. I suppose they're in the dormitories? After what happened, I think he needed some calm. Being comforting might be good for him, we've some who left the training camp for less than it!"

Marco briefly thanked him even though he didn't understand everything Gunther was talking about, and went off the small room. Trying not to precipitate. There only, he noticed he still had the small spoon between his fingers and put it between his teeth, with the hope he could calm down concentrating on it. What did really happen? The question was turning and turning in his mind, keeping him from being attentive to his surroundings and he felt himself violently bumping in something. The voice took him back on earth.

"Oh god Marco, be careful…," Bertholdt sighed.

A shower towel across his shoulders, the tall brown boy had taken his time for a shower after training. Marco excused himself, a bit still not here, and was already about to keep on walking when Bertholdt added.

"You saw Jean?"

Marco couldn't hide his surprise and raised his eyes on Bertholdt's serious face. Now, between Gunther's weird talking and his comrades's behavior, he was even more worrying.

"Not yet…," he mumbled chewing on the little spoon.

"Reiner might have taken him to the dormitory, I think Jean will be glad to see you. Even we we try to be strong, that's not something you… "

"Reiner?" Marco cut, surprised. "Eren wasn't with him?"

Berthold had a annoyed grimace and rather than explaining something he couldn't by himself, he just pushed Marco softly to make him go in his previous direction.

"You're gonna ask by yourself…," he whispered while leaving.

Fuck. Marco didn't wait a second more and accelerated, to finally push the wood door he was looking for. The big room looked empty at first when he entered in silence but a chat and movements told him the reverse.

"You're gonna put some on…Ah! Take care, it's flowing everywhere!" Reiner's voice was growling with his legendary delicacy.

"What's flowing everywhere?" Marco said coming closer from some steps.

If he felt reassured by recognizing Jean from far, sitting on the edge of the bed, he felt his blood freeze the second after. Jean's face looked aggard, his hands covered with a mix of blood and saliva he was still holding in his palm and he was just showing a scary looks. And it wasn't counting on the hematoma spreading on his face, from his jaw to his cheekbone.

Without caring about Reiner's rather long and intense time of reflexion at his appearition and Jean's frightened looks, Marco was already kneeling in front of him the same way Reiner was. The big blond growled a little when he felt a bit pushed out from his place.

"What did happen?" he asked, trying to talk as soft as possible.

"He got aggressed," Reiner answered for Jean.

Jean gave him a dark glare before receiving a small pat on the head. Marco had quickly noticed his outfit, his hands already checking on the opening of his shirt.

"How…How could that had happened? I thought Eren was…"

"By Eren."

Marco felt the shiver going through Jean's body when Reiner talked. At the moment, his eyes fell on the marks and bits left by Eren's teeth, that and there on the light skin. He swallowed, closing the shirt without releasing it.

An agressin. At first, he thought about some fight, with their wrists. As usual.

"Jean", he murmured. "Did he…?"

Marco looked up to Jean's face and the boy turned his gaze, ill-at-ease and feeling ashamed. Reiner moved his hand to take Marco's attention.

"He didn't have the time to do anyth…Oh god Jean, stop doing that, that's fucking disgusting I told you!"

"But it annoys me!" Jean immediately replied. "And stop talking about Eren like that, you!"

For a second, He wanted to stand up, suddenly up on his legs. And loudly fell back on his previous position, taken by a terrible vertigo. Jean took his own head in his hands, moaning a little. The second after, he was laying on the bed, without any precaution and almost with force.

"S-seriously, leave me alone!" He almost yelled trying to get rig off Marco and Reiner's hands that were bedding him down.

"Stop moving," Marco decreed with a voice he wanted to keep calm.

"God Jean, you're imposible…," Reiner sighed, maintaining him.

"It was just vertigo! Leave me! I'm ok, fuck you!"

Marco felt like he worried for nothing and inwardly sighed in relief. At least until Reiner talked again. Like some barbarian.

"Really? So you see no problem if I go and take Eren back for him to continue what he was doing, in this case?"

He felt Jean tensing under his hands, paling so much. Ok, maybe Jean wasn't as fine as he looked. "D-don't say silly things," Jean whimpered , suddenly quiet and obeying.

"See, when you want…," Reiner sighed. "Marco, I leave him to you."

The brown boy nodded and put his bottom on his heels, sit on the mattress beside Jean. Reiner scowled a last time looking at him.

"And stop with that fucking spoon, you're gonna break a tooth!" He finally launched before leaving them in the huge room.