Marco tried to convince himself that drinking the Hawaiian Punch was a bad idea. He really tried. After all, his first drinking experience hadn't exactly been a fantastic one. Not bad, but he could still remember how much it hurt to vomit for what was probably a good five hours. He could still taste the acid on his tongue if he tried. But still, it was gay prom, everyone else was having some, and he really liked Hawaiian Punch. A lot.
Even though it had a bite to it, the flavor was still there. Jean gave him a pointed look, and gave him only one warning.
"Be careful, babe. Fruity drinks. Pony tattoos."
Marco had laughed, but he kept it in mind, sipping slowly.
At some point, everyone had broken off to do different activities. A few, like Ymir and Krista, continued dancing long after everyone else had stopped for a break. Connie and Sasha, after dancing for about five minutes in a strange, birdlike manner excused themselves for a few minutes to take a hit in the bathroom, and came back giggly. About ten minutes after that, the majority of the snacks mysteriously disappeared.
Armin had already littered Eren's face with baby blue lip prints, and Marco had witnessed him coyly reapplying the lipstick more than a once. The brunette was properly embarrassed, but was starting to loosen up as he had more of the punch. Marco sympathized, recognizing the nervousness with which Eren took his first few drinks as inexperience. But, just like Marco, he became a lot bolder once he'd found his buzz.
Marco pulled Armin aside for a moment, bending just a little to whisper in his ear.
"If you want any action from him besides vomiting tonight, I suggest you get him to slow down." He cautioned. Armin blushed faintly under his makeup, but nodded, taking Eren's cup away and downing it himself before pulling him back to where Ymir and Krista were still at it, carefully spinning him a few times while avoiding his clumsy limbs. Eren looked a little disappointed, but he didn't bother complaining after Armin pressed another kiss to his lips.
Reiner and Bertholdt had taken a seat at the bar, simply talking to each other while nursing some punch. Berthold only drank one the entire night, as far as anyone knew. It was for the best though, because he ended up giving most of them a ride home, much to Reiner's chagrin. Annie and Mikasa had gone behind the counter of the bar at some point and hadn't been seen for a good half hour. Nobody dared check on them.
Once everyone but Bertholdt had a pretty good buzz going, Connie and Sasha, snickering, turned down the music and got up on the bar, hollering for everyone to gather around. It took some effort, but everyone managed to crowd around the two, and they waited till everyone was quiet before giving their announcement.
"Alright queers!" Sasha shouted unnecessarily loud. There was a collective groan. "Oh hush. I have something you're all going to love!" She promised. Connie snickered, grabbing another plastic sack and pulling out two cheap dress-up princess crowns. Another collective groan.
"It's time to announce the gay prom king and king!" Sasha declared with a squeal, taking one of the crowns from Connie. "It was a close vote, but unfortunately, there can only be one win… Er, two winners!"
Marco could hear someone's foot tapping impatiently, and someone was grumbling under their breath.
"I guess me, Krista, Mikasa, and Annie are out of the running then." Ymir groused. The two latter girls poked their heads over the counter, Mikasa's lipstick smeared incriminatingly.
"Armin too." Mikasa added, a small smirk playing at her lips.
"Hey!" Armin cried, stamping his foot. "Wearing a skirt does not constitute as a changed gender!" He argued. Mikasa's smirk only grew.
"She's just teasing, Armin." Eren promised, hushing the blonde effectively.
Sasha cleared her throat, arms crossing over her chest in annoyance.
"If you all don't shut up, I'm going to keep the crown for myself." She warned. Most of them didn't care, but they hushed anyway. The faster they got Sasha off the bar, the sooner they didn't have to worry about taking her to the hospital if she fell. Seemingly pleased by her ability to hush a crowd, she did a little twirl.
"Okay, the voters have spoken!" She began, and Ymir scoffed.
"I don't remember voting." She groused. Sasha sighed dramatically.
"The voters, with the exception of Ymir, have spoken!" She corrected. Krista giggled. "The prom king and king of this year's gay prom aaaaaaare-" She paused, likely for effect, then pointed dramatically to where Marco was whispering something to Jean. "Jean and Marco!" She crooned. The two blinked, looking first at each other, then at Sasha.
After a small stare down, everyone started clapping with feigned enthusiasm, a few of them laughing and patting them on the back. Sasha waved them up, and even though they tried to protest, Reiner took it upon himself to heft them both up onto the bar, where they awkwardly held onto one another in hopes of staying upright on the counter.
Sasha tried to reach up and put the plastic crown upon Marco's head, and Connie did the same with Jean, but neither could reach. Sasha whined low in her throat, beckoning Marco down, as if she wanted to say something to him. But when he bent down, she simply pushed the crown onto his head, grinning triumphantly.
Connie wasn't having nearly as easy of a time, Jean stubbornly moving out of the way every time the shorter male tried to get the accessory on. Taking pity on the boy, Marco took the crown and easily placed it on the designated recipient, much to Jean's horror.
"Baby!" He yelped, hands already coming up to remove the cheap tiara. Marco stopped him though, kissing his cheek in a bid to placate him.
"If I have to wear one, so do you." He said with a small smile. "Don't worry. It's totally punk." He added, a smirk playing at his lips. Jean growled and rolled his eyes, but his arms fell to his sides stiffly, leaving the crown where it was, fake silver paint, plastic gems and all. A small cheer rose from the small crowd, then Sasha turned the music back up, shoving the two teens off the bar and towards the floor. She fussed with Bertholdt's IPod for a few seconds, then hummed happily, the song that was on stopping abruptly and changing to something else.
The pace was a lot slower, and everyone was grinning cheekily at them. It took a few seconds for Marco to realize what was going on, and when he did, it was with a sigh of resignation. Before the other teen could complain, he pulled Jean close, forcing him into some semblance of a waltz, minus the grace and the sweeping movements. At least they were attempting a sloppy box step, instead of just swaying. The others wanted a show, after all.
Marco recognized the song, which was a surprise. So far, he'd only known a few, and pretty much everyone had given Bertholdt dirty looks for even having them on his IPod in the first place. But the most reaction he got out of Jean for this one was a small groan. Marco smiled though. He liked this song.
"Kiss me out of the bearded barley. Nightly, beside the green, green grass-"
"Jesus Christ, baby, no." Jean moaned, trying to push himself out of the dance weakly, attempt entirely unsuccessful. Marco only grinned, holding fast to his boyfriend, voice getting louder as he sang along.
"Oh, kiss me, beneath the milky twilight-"
"Fucking hell!" Jean cried, covering Marco's mouth with his own, effectively cutting him off this time. Marco giggled, continuing the little box step, but kept quiet as Jean kissed him.
Luckily for the two-toned brunette, Reiner pulled Bertholdt out to join the dance, and Krista convinced Ymir to stop grinding long enough to share the dance as well. About halfway through, everyone was back out on the floor, even Annie and Mikasa. Marco knew that for sure, because he almost stepped on Annie's floor length red dress. He would have regretted it even if he didn't fear the blonde, for it was such a gorgeous dress.
Jean pulled away, and they simply danced for a bit, but Marco couldn't help himself as the end of the song came, and he smiled softly.
"Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance, silver moon's sparkling."
Jean looked like he was about to complain again, but the song ended with only one more line.
"So kiss me." Marco breathed, looking at Jean through his thick lashes. And even he could see that Jean swooned a little bit, regardless of his feelings towards the song. That made his heartbeat quicken. So did the kiss he received.
After the slow dance, everyone went back to what they had been doing. Connie and Sasha ended up having to step out to get more snacks and punch, but it wasn't a long trip at all. Marco tried to ask where they were getting their alcohol, but Connie tactfully turned the music up, making it too loud for Sasha's response to be heard.
It was nearing one in the morning when Marco learned something new about Jean. While the other teen claimed he couldn't dance, he was very, very skilled at doing some strange movement to shitty dubstep. Everyone, even Marco, groaned when it came on, looking at Bertholdt with malice. But all of the attention went to Jean, who had started doing some intensely odd but incredibly mesmerizing dance of sorts, moving his body fluidly and with precision.
No one could even say anything for a while, then Eren whistled.
"Holy shit Horse-Face." He laughed, nodding in approval. "Even I have to admit, that's pretty cool."
Jean stopped, seeming to realize that he was, in fact, surrounded by people and in a public place. His face went red, and he quickly scurried over to Marco's side.
"Fuck, baby, why did you let me do that?" He demanded. Marco quirked a brow.
"Uh, because you are not a Sim, and I therefore don't have control over your free-will." He replied, sass in rare form thanks to the punch. "And because it was cool." He added. Jean groaned.
"I've had too much. Fruity drinks, man. They fuck with me." He grumbled.
There was a collective request for more, and Jean tried to bury himself into Marco's shoulder, to little avail. Eren, with a smirk on his face, pulled Jean back, going as far as to dare him to do it again. It took another glass of spiked punch, but they eventually got him moving again, and he wasn't complaining about the attention in the end.
When the song (or what some might call a song) was over, he returned to Marco's side, laughing as Sasha handed him another cup.
"Well, still think I'm cool?" He asked, hand coming up to make sure the crown was still properly perched atop his head. Marco giggled, nodding as he stole the cup and took a drink before handing it back.
"Totally punk." He agreed, licking over his front teeth to make sure that the punch wouldn't stain them. Jean watched the movement carefully, still smiling.
"Super punk?" He wondered, for clarification. Marco rolled his eyes, kissing the other boy's cheek.
"Hella." He decided. Jean scoffed, setting the already empty cup down on the bar.
"Did you seriously just say-" He began, but Eren cut him off, walking up as if he had a purpose. Marco silently began to fret, remembering Armin's warning about Jean's history with Eren. Jean himself stiffened. But Eren didn't even say anything at first, reaching across to pour himself another glass of punch. Armin, who had followed behind, sighed, blue lips pulled into a cute little pout.
Once he'd poured himself a drink and had about half of it, Eren turned to Jean.
"Alright, look Horse Fa-Er, Jean. I, uh…" He began, looking down at the bright red liquid for a moment. "I guess I wanna apologize for always fucking shit up with you, you know?" He managed. Jean looked surprised, and Armin looked like he'd just seen a talking dick. Eren took another drink, then opened his mouth again.
"I dunno why we're always fighting and shit, but like… I don't hate you or anything." He explained, biting his lip. "I just… I dunno. You were kind of a fucking brat when we were younger." He remembered, tone a little biting. "You still had your mom, and I was fucking jealous, cause you know, mine had died, and I guess that's kind of why I started picking fights. You just… You were always such an ass about it, and I just… I was jealous." He admitted. He took a few steps until he was next to Armin, draping his arm over the smaller boy's shoulder.
"But like, the past is in the past, you know?" He wondered, gesturing with the hand he was using to hold the cup, the remaining liquid sloshing a bit. Marco gave Armin a look, and the blonde shrugged with exasperation. "I heard about your mom a few years ago, and man, I'm sorry. And I don't wanna fight anymore. I just wanna dance, and fuc-kiss Armin, and I just wanted to tell you, because you aren't actually a bad guy." He finished. Or so they thought. Jean opened his mouth to reply, but Eren cut him off.
"Cause I mean, you wear some scary ass clothes. Like, I'm used to Armin at this point-" The boy in question narrowed his eyes and elbowed the brunette in the ribs. "Ow! But anyway, like, what the fuck is even up with your clothes? Where do you find all this spiky stuff, and the chains. Like, is there some secret back part of Goodwill that I don't know about?" He wondered, brows furrowed. Jean just sort of stared for a long time, then he nodded.
"Yeah. How'd you know?" He asked sarcastically. Marco nudged him, giving him a warning look. Eren's eyes went wide, nearly hitting Armin as he pointed excitedly at Jean.
"I knew it! I fucking knew it!" He cried, earning the attention of some of the other teens. "How do you get back there?" He demanded.
Marco groaned, and Jean was trying his best to conceal his snickers. Even Armin was hiding a few giggles as Eren animatedly spilled his drink.
"Well, you see, you have to sort of look like a punk, you know?" Jean said. Again, Marco nudged him. "They have to see you and think 'wow, look at this badass.'" He continued, despite Marco's insistence. Eren nodded enthusiastically, stepping a little closer.
"What about me isn't badass?" He asked earnestly, and Jean scoffed.
"I wish I could say there was only one thing…" He trailed. Eren frowned deeply, looking down at himself. "But if I were you, I'd start with your hair." Jean added.
It seemed to click, and Eren nodded thoughtfully.
"Huh, yeah… I sort of always get the same cut." He admitted, turning to Armin and taking his hand. "Yeah! Come on! Let's go cut my hair!" He cried, tugging on the smaller boy's arm. Armin groaned, doing his best to stay put.
"Not tonight Eren. If you still want to cut it when you're sober, then we can talk." He replied. Eren groaned, tugging harder.
"I'm not even drunk!" He promised, though everyone in the room would beg to differ. Armin sighed, rubbing at his temple with his free hand.
"Okay Eren. I'm still not going to let you cut your hair right now." He said with force, tugging the other boy back towards him and planting a powder blue kiss on his cheek. "We have other things to do tonight." He whispered. Marco still heard it though, and his face went red.
"Aaaalright, well, we're going to go, uh… Dance. Over there." He announced awkwardly, pulling Jean along behind him. His boyfriend gave him a look, but followed anyway. When they were far enough away, Marco sighed. "Sorry, but I didn't really want to hear what exactly Armin is planning to do with Eren tonight." He explained.
Jean's eyes lit up with understanding, and he made a face.
"Oh god. Well, I wish him luck. Eren's sloshed. He fucking apologized to me." He snickered. Marco shook his head, but smiled as well.
"I tried to warn him." He lamented, actually pulling Jean back into dancing. When Jean tried to pull away, Marco fixed him with a look. "You are going to dance with me until my legs give out if you want any sort of affection from me tonight." He warned, and Jean's eyes went wide.
"Oh?" He breathed, body swaying obediently. "What sort of affection are we talking?" He wondered. Marco only smiled coyly, finger coming up to tap against his lips. Jean pouted, the effect sort of ruined by his snake bites. "Come on babe, at least a hint. Are we talking cuddling, or like, what Armin wants?"
Marco shuddered, looking over at the blonde in question, who was currently pressing Eren against the wall and kissing him almost furiously. That was a sight to see in itself.
"I don't think Armin even knows what he wants." Marco pointed out. Jean rolled his eyes.
"Come on sweetheart, quit avoiding the question." He requested, spinning Marco with as much grace as he could muster. The brunette chuckled, nearly falling as he tried to spin in Jean's arms.
"Well, I guess I'm sort of like Armin." He decided. "I don't really know what I want." He added, looking through his lashes again, watching a flush creep over Jean's face.
A/N: Ohh, sorry if the editing is a little shaky. I looked over it when I was super tired, but I wanted to get this chapter up pretty quickly, since it's sort of directly connected with the previous chapter. The next one ties in a bit too, but this one is more direct, you know?
Anyway, thanks, as always, for waiting so patiently for me to get this up. I seemed to think that working on three stories at once was a good idea, and while that's good for me, it's bad for you! I work best when I have a variety of things I can work on. But because I'm dividing my attention, it takes me longer to get each one out. But, you know, you've gotta do what you've gotta do.
So, I haven't got much to say? Not too much has changed since last time, except my computer background. I've been hella busy at work, that's for sure. I'll have worked 8 days in a row by the next time I get a day off. But, you know, that's more money for me, I suppose. I'll need it, seeing as I'm moving out soon.
That's sort of scary, to be honest. We went and looked at a couple of places today, and it's sort of setting in what I'm getting myself into. But I need my own space, that's for sure. Still, I'm going to need to start getting stuff. Kitchenware and furniture, and… So much.
Oh, you know, speaking of; I set up a gofundme. For those who don't know what that is, it's a site where you can basically set up a charity for your personal or group needs. Mine is set up for my school expenses, since I know it's going to be pretty tough for me to afford school and a place to live all on my cashier's paycheck. I won't beg you guys to donate or anything, because I personally understand how hard it can be to get money, especially enough to spare. But you know, the more you get a page out, the more likely you are to succeed. So if you do want to check it out, even if just to see a terrible picture of my not-cute face, you can find it here: www. gofundme .bkovew
Well, alright, beyond that, I'll just mention my other JeanMarco story again! It's called Where Wildflowers Grow, and is currently up to two chapters. I'll post the third probably tonight or tomorrow. It's actually gotten a bit more attention than I expected, but I'd be forever thankful if you checked it out as well. It's very different from this story though, so just be forewarned. Here's a link: archiveofourown .works/1919013 (If you want to read it on fanfiction or devi, just search it up or check my profile!
So, wow, this author note wound up being way longer than I initially anticipate. Sorry for rambling. Alright, well, have a lovely day, and thank you, as always, for reading. Feedback is appreciated!
KuroRiya
九六りや