Always Here for You

Three long and very stressful weeks passed and the Thanksgiving Break soon came upon the students inside the walls, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and colleges alike. Breaks truly are a wonderful thing.

Lying stomach-down on his bed and playing an online game with Connie, Eren, and Marco, Jean gunned down someone who had just aimed for Connie's character.

"Watch your back, Connie." He said dismissively, then moved his character on its way.

"Whoa, thanks Jean!" Connie replied over his headset.

Eren was up on a balcony sniping some enemies, and Marco was hidden away to take down anyone that passed who wasn't an ally with grenades. The four of them had been at it for about two hours, Jean surprising himself at how much he was actually not entirely bored with this game.

He hadn't really spoken to Marco much during the match, as he didn't want his little crush being obvious to Eren or Connie… or Marco for that matter. For weeks he'd held his tongue in a silent agony as he watched Marco get closer to Tom.

It hadn't been easy, that was for sure.

Of course he and Marie were still going out. She was an amazing girlfriend - they'd officially decided they were girlfriend and boyfriend about two weeks ago - and she definitely took Jean's mind off of Marco when they were together. But still, the car rides, eating lunch together, extreme dodge ball, and the occasional times they all hung out together outside of school were hurtful reminders that Jean couldn't have Marco.

He didn't want to just come out and tell him he had a huge crush on him in hopes that that would break him and Tom up. That would be absurd. Why would Marco, for as smart as he is, break up with someone he clearly liked a lot for someone who had a crush on him? Someone like Jean at that… He didn't see much value in himself, so people like Mikasa, Marie, and Marco all seemed out of his league.

"Jean, watch out!" Marco shouted into his headset.

Said man watched as his character was gunned down from behind. "Shit." He cursed, flipping his joystick out of his hand in frustration.

"Stop whacking it over there and get your head in the game." Eren teased, then took out the person who had shot Jean.

"Excuse me for not being able to whack it while playing like you." Jean retorted.

A knock on his door distracted him from the game, and he told the person to come in.

"Jean, are you sure you don't want to come with us to see Gran Gran and Grandpa?" his mother asked as she opened the door and peeked her head inside. "You'll be here all alone on Thanksgiving tomorrow…"

Jean's grandparents lived in Wall Sina, close to the king's castle. He had no real desire to go see them, as he'd surely see them when they would come to visit for a week leading up to Christmas.

"It's fine, mom. I've got stuff to do anyway." Stuff… many things like gaming, procrastinating on homework, and also jerking to the thought of Marco lying beneath him.

"Okay. We'll bring you back some food and dad and I will cook when we get back."

"Kay. Have a safe trip."

"Don't spend too long on that game, it'll rot your brain." She said, then made to leave, "Love you, sweetheart."

Jean waited for her to be gone, but she stood there staring daggers at him. "Love you, too!" he quickly said.

Eren and Connie's resulting laughter made him blush, but his mother seemed very satisfied. With a smile, she closed the door and headed to the kitchen to grab a dessert she'd made for her parents.

At hearing the front door close, Jean grinned and turned his attention back to the game. Of course he would play for hours on end, just because he was advised not to.

Thanksgiving Day. A little after noon.

Jean woke up and scratched his head, before looking around his room. He'd stayed up much later than he planned to last night playing the warfare game Eren suggested they all play, and thus, he was still a bit tired.

Nevertheless, he got up and slipped some pants on, then turned on the TV. There wasn't much to watch, considering it was all daytime television, but he left it on anyway. Some background noise was better than nothing at all.

And for a while, it was fine. Eventually he left his room to shower and get something to eat from the kitchen, in the process finding $40 on the counter for him, and then decided to go back and try sleeping a bit more. That only worked for about four hours or so. It was a nice cat nap. When he woke up, he found he had 10 missed calls and a few text messages. The texts were from Marie and his friends, all wishing him a Happy Thanksgiving. The calls were from an unknown number.

He opened some of the voicemails the number had left. They were all from a hospital.

Six p.m.

Having so many people over at the Bodt house was a Thanksgiving tradition. All of the children (Marco's siblings) and grandchildren were gathered, along with the cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and even some family friends. It had been a busy day cleaning the house and making sleeping arrangements for those who would be staying the night.

Marco had thought about inviting Tom, but decided against it. Their relationship was still very new and he didn't exactly want to introduce him to everyone he was related to just yet.

In his family, out of ten, he was the only one who found himself interested in people of the same sex, which was fine by him. He just didn't want to impose on his family by bringing a guy home for them to meet. They accepted him for his sexuality, but even still, he didn't like the idea of being the different one. So while all his older siblings had their spouses and significant others over, he fell in with the younger ones who were just in high school and middle school who didn't have anyone come over.

"Marco, don't take all the turkey!" Susie, the third oldest said as she came into the kitchen. She was very pregnant and due in about four months. Needless to say, she was putting away the most food. Marco grinned at her and offered the tray to her. "Haha real funny." She said, then proceeded to take at least half the turkey from it. "I'm feeding three here!" She was feeding herself, her baby, and Oliver—her fiancé.

"Marco, Janie took my piece of apple pie! Make her give it back before I cut her pigtails off!" Leah said as she stomped into the kitchen. She was ten and quite the little tomboy.

"No no! Please don't! Here, I'll get you another one!" The freckled man said, then cut her another piece of apple pie. "Eat away from her this time."

"Thank you, Marco. She's been begging for a punch in the face all day and she just might get it!"

A few others came into the kitchen and Marco slipped out past them, wanting to avoid the rush for second helpings. The doorbell rang, making him stop on his way up to his room.

Being the closest to the door, he walked over to it and unlocked it.

He was surprised to find Jean standing on his doorstep with his hands in his pockets and looking very glum. "Jean, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Marco… can I come in?"

"Um, yeah sure!" Marco said, then stepped aside so Jean could enter.

"I need to talk to you…"

"Okay." Marco nodded and led Jean up to his room, then put the plate of food he had down on his dresser. After sitting down on his bed, he patted the spot next to him, indicating for Jean to sit beside him.

"Are you okay, Jean?"

After sitting down beside Marco, Jean brought his hands together and glued his eyes to the floor. He was quiet for a while, not really knowing what to say, or how to say it. "Marco… my… I… I don't know what to… shit…"

Marco's eyes went wide when he saw a tear fall onto Jean's pant leg.

"Jean!"

Said man looked up and let more tears escape. He'd been holding them in for a while, but now being here in front of Marco, he felt he could cry without judgment. "Marco, my parents… they were in a car accident." He finally said.

"What? Where?!"

"In Wall Sina… they're… they're both in the hospital…!"

Marco watched almost helplessly as Jean shook his head and then sat there crying. He didn't know what to do, and he felt so bad that almost wanted to cry with him. "It'll-it'll be okay, Jean!" he said, then put his hand on the other's back.

The moment he did, he jumped when Jean moved closer to him and buried his face in his sweater-covered stomach. He felt his cheeks go warm and wanted to push Jean away, but he needed to be here for him. This was obviously only something he could do since Jean wasn't with Marie or any of his family while trying to cope with this.

"It'll be okay, Jean. I know it will."

"Ma-Ma-ru-cooohh…" Jean's cry was muffled by the warm stomach he'd buried his face in.

"You can let it all out. I'm here for you."

"What if they die…? What if-"

"Don't talk like that, Jean! You have to have faith. Be strong for them!"

After grabbing hold of Marco's sweater, Jean tried calming himself down. When he felt a hand rub him on the back, he just let the tears fall out even more than they had before. He felt so bad for thinking of his parents as nuisances now. They'd only ever shown him love, yet he didn't appreciate them as much as he should have.

"Mar…co…" he sobbed, managing to quell his sadness a little. Just saying his name was enough to sedate him.

"They'll be okay. So please, don't cry anymore… It makes me want to cry." Marco said softly, still running his hand along Jean's back.

Jean backed off a bit and wiped his eyes. He'd always wanted nothing more than to hide his weakness from everyone, Marco included, but by coming to him now, he showed it to him… Just like that time at dodge ball.

"Th-thanks man… you… you're such a good friend, Marco."

"No, it's fine. I'm here for you, always." Said man smiled a little, trying to comfort the man he loved.

"I know… That's… why I came… to you."

"…Do you want to stay the night with me? I can sleep on the floor."

"No, I really should go home…"

"You shouldn't be alone at a time like this. Stay here for a while. It's fine."

"..."

"I have to go make sure the animals are okay. Wanna come with?"

"… Sure…"

"Let's go then." Marco said, before standing and holding his hand out to Jean. When Jean took it, he smiled at him and helped him up. Then after Marco tenderly wiped the tears from Jean's eyes, they left the room and headed past his family members, who asked him a thousand questions about Jean, and went outside.

"It's kind of cold out here…" Jean mumbled while stuffing his hands into his pockets as he walked alongside his friend to the barn.

"I can run and get a heavier jacket for you."

"…Nah, I'm good." The shorter man said, forcing himself to believe he wasn't cold.

"Stop trying to seem so cool."

"I don't have to seem cool. I am." Jean retorted. "And look at your nose, it's turning red!"

Marco crossed his eyes to try seeing his nose, "So it is!"

"Rudolph."

"Santa."

It took him a second, and once they came to a halt in front of the barn doors, Jean raised an eyebrow at Marco, "…Are you… saying that I'm a plump old man?" he asked.

"Yeah! That's exactly what I'm saying!"

"Y-you're the one with love handles!"

"W-what?!" Marco asked, blushing uncontrollably.

"…" Jean blushed a bit as well, only just realizing what he'd said. He wasn't supposed to ever let Marco know that he knew that about him.

The horses started neighing loudly, and Marco turned his full attention to the barn. He quickly opened one of the doors and jumped when he saw a family of raccoons scurrying through the barn.

"Darn it! I thought the man who came a few days ago caught these guys!"

Jean came up behind Marco and looked over his shoulder. The moment he laid eyes on the raccoons he grinned. "Heheh, they're like robbers."

"Yeah, when we leave carrots and apples for the horses, they come in and steal them!" Marco said, then rushed inside and scared them all. They scared him by running through his legs, and Jean jumped backwards, almost falling on his rear end in the process, when they scrambled out the barn doors.

"Jeez! Little creeps!" he shouted.

He turned and saw Marco petting one of the horses and shook his head. He was trying to comfort the horses? Raccoons must not have scared him. Considering he probably grew up tending to animals, maybe he just wasn't as easily startled like someone from the city. Though… this neighborhood wasn't very far from the city at all.

"Are you still cold?" Marco asked once all the animals were checked on and he and Jean came out of the barn.

"I wasn't cold to begin with."

"You said you were!"

"No, I said it was cold, not that I was cold."

"…You are so-"

"Awesome? Sexy? Intelligent? Take your pick from those."

"Hmm… how about-" The ringing of Marco's cell phone cut him off, and he pulled it out of his pocket. He grinned at Jean embarrassedly before turning away and answering it, "Hello?"

Jean rolled his eyes when he heard Tom's name, and he squinted at hearing Marco giggle as he spoke to him. From what he heard, they were talking about today and how things went. Marco then said Jean was here with him, making him feel a bit more confident. "Yeah, you haven't taken him from me completely." He thought.

"Alright. Well I'll talk later… Okay... Haha! Okay, okay… Bye, Tom."

Trying to seem uninterested and not like he'd listened to the whole conversation, Jean turned and looked up to the sky. There were so many stars shining on the canvas of navy that he felt like he was in outer space. He could try his best and never be able to count them all. Being away from the city and out in this vast countryside gave such a better view of the night sky that he was a bit jealous that Marco got to see this every night. For a moment, he prayed for his parents' sake. Hopefully they would be okay when he goes to see them tomorrow.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Marco asked, coming up beside Jean.

"Yeah, real beautiful."

"Jean…"

"Hm?" said man asked, turning his attention to Marco.

"Did you mean what you said…?"

"What's that? I say a lot of things."

"Do… you really think I'm beautiful?"

Jean was surprised to hear Marco ask that. He avoided eye contact and immediately started staring up at the sky again to hide his embarrassment, "Do you need me to think that?"

"What? No… I just… I thought about that the other day and-"

"You shouldn't worry about what everyone thinks about you, or you'll never be true to yourself. See the beauty in yourself and you won't need to hear it from others."

"…"

There was a silence between them for a while. Jean avoided looking at Marco, who he could tell he'd probably let down, and kept staring up at the sky. Of course he thought Marco was beautiful, but he couldn't tell him that again. He was so confused about it, anyway. That night he was pretty under alcohol's spell. Right now wasn't the time for him to be trying piece his inebriated utterances and actions together, as that would only confuse him more.

The fact that he thought he had a crush on Marco was confusing enough. Jean was straight. Always had been. But there was something about Marco that he couldn't resist—that he needed. And that was so confusing to him. Maybe whatever it was was the reason he came to him tonight instead of going to Marie. Marco was just easy to talk to and be around. Even he could tell his thick skin was no match around him. It's why he'd cried like a baby in front of the freckled-man twice now. "Hey, thanks for being here for me… I appreciate it more than I can say." Jean finally said, "And thanks for offering to let me stay, but I shouldn't. I've decided to go check on my parents tonight instead of waiting. Besides, I don't wanna inconvenience you in any way by staying here."

"Jean, it's not an inconvenience. Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, you've done enough for me. I'm a big boy, I can handle myself. But… thanks for being here for me all the time. I… I… uh… well… just… thanks…"

"You know I'll never turn you away, Jean. I'm always here for you."

"I know."

When Jean finally did decide to leave, Marco walked him to his car and smiled warmly at him, "Tell your parents I said hello when you see them." He said, his breath coming out with each word he said.

"Right." Jean said, then unlocked his door and got inside. "Have a good night, Marco. I'll text you tomorrow." After sticking the key into the ignition and starting his car, he turned the heat on full blast and put his hands over two of the vents.

"Night night." The freckled-man said, before heading back up the sidewalk to his front door. "Be careful, Jean." He breathed out into the cold air, then turned around and waved at Jean.

Jean gave a quick wave and then pulled off into the night. Thanks to Marco's encouragement and reassurance about his parents, he could make the trip to Sina to see them both alive and well.

I anticipate that the next chapter will be a very busy one... so please bear with me! And thanks a bunch for your reviews everyone! I enjoy them so much!