They were woken much too early by a certain Marie Bodt. The girl let herself in and proceeded to bounce on top of their bodies until they groaned and blinked their way into the realm of the living. Marie giggled with glee at her accomplishment, leaning down and smooching Marco's cheek.
"Morning!" She chirped. Marco grumbled out some incoherent response, dark lashes closing again as he rolled over, making Marie bounce for a moment until she came to rest on his hip instead of his waist. She smiled an almost evil smile, but then seemed to remember Jean, narrowing her eyes and looking his way.
He blinked at the little menace, almost frightened. But, after a bit of harsh scrutiny, she leaned down with apparent reluctance and smooched his cheek as well. Jean stared at her, but eventually broke into a grin, grabbing the brunette and shoving her between himself and Marco, trapping her between their bodies.
She squealed, chubby freckled Bodt arms and legs flailing as she did her best to escape, to no avail. Marco too turned over, roused from his dozing by the high pitched cries of his sister, and proceeded to squish her against his chest, dancing his fingers along her ribs until she was almost screaming with laughter.
When the poor girl was finally released, she laid against Marco's chest, panting in a bid to catch her breath, thoroughly exhausted from the sneak attack that Jean had launched. Marco chuckled, taking the opportunity to lean over and plant a kiss to Jean's lips, smiling when the other teen groggily returned it.
Marie huffed, turning over to lie on her stomach, staring up at the two.
"No kissing!" She screeched, dark brows knit. Marco scoffed, booping her nose.
"It's my room, I can kiss him all I want." He reasoned, kissing his boyfriend again for good measure. Marie's nose wrinkled in distaste, and she sighed dramatically. Marco only smirked, grabbing her face and planting one on her as well. She shrieked, wiping her mouth roughly and glaring at Marco.
"You stole my first kiss!" She growled, brown eyes narrow. Marco rolled his eyes.
"Marie, that's hardly the first time I've kissed you. And family kisses don't count." He pointed out. She seemed to ponder that, then her gaze softened.
"Oh, okay." She agreed, settling down on the bed again. Jean snickered from where he was watching, leaning over to steal another kiss. Marco chuckled, brushing his nose against Jean's.
"Did you get jealous?" He wondered. Jean made a whiny noise, scooting closer and smooshing Marie between their legs, much to the girl's chagrin.
"You know I did." He agreed, grabbing Marco and initiating an Eskimo kiss, ignoring the groans from the girl still wedged between them.
"You two are so gross!" She complained, trying to tug herself out from between them. The teens snickered, only snuggling closer, batting their lashes at their smaller companion. Marco reached for her, dragging her up higher so he could hug her to his chest, receiving only protests for his efforts. Jean joined in, effectively crushing her.
"I hate you!" She swore, pushing away from Marco roughly, finding herself utterly trapped. Marco only laughed, wrapping his legs around her too.
"We looooove you!" He singsonged, and Jean laughed as well, hugging her tighter. Marie went limp in their arms, then turned to Jean, narrowing her eyes.
"You too?" She demanded. Jean blinked, arms loosening around her tiny frame.
"Huh?" He prompted cleverly. She whooped, finally escaping Marco's arms.
"Do you love me, too?" She elaborated once she'd righted herself.
The two freckled siblings watched Jean's face go a few different shades of red, but he finally managed to squeak out a tiny yes, and Marie burst into a fit of delighted giggles.
"I love you too, Jean!" She cooed, leaping off the bed and running down the hallway, bare feet slapping against the hardwood loudly until she hit the ground floor and her footsteps disappeared along with her giddy laughs.
After letting him fester for a few seconds, Marco coaxed Jean out of the pillows, kissing his nose before shoving him out of bed. He nearly fell, but managed to catch himself just in time, and he threw a dangerous look over his shoulder to his boyfriend who was too busy snickering to pay him any mind.
Somehow convincing himself not to tackle Marco back into the bed, Jean headed for the bathroom, Marco went downstairs to use the other one, and they met in the kitchen. Marco was a bit surprised to see all of his siblings sitting in the living room, looking at him expectantly as soon as he'd exited the bathroom. He couldn't count the pairs of brown eyes before he gave into the pressure.
"What do you all want?" He demanded, looking at them suspiciously.
"Food!" Was the immediate reply. He quirked a brow, looking at them all curiously.
"Uh, that's what mom and dad are for?" He tried.
"Mom went shopping and dad got called in to work." Nardo piped up from his spot on the couch. Marco blinked, then buried his face in his hands. So that's why Marie had bothered to get them up.
"Oh god. What do you guys want?" He wondered, voice small and scared. Sure enough, a chorus of voices rang out.
"Pancakes!"
"Bacon!"
"Nachos!"
He winced, eying his siblings with contempt.
"I am NOT making Nachos." He announced, and Arturo sent a glare his way. "Breakfast foods only." He added.
There was some squabbling, but Marco managed to escape without any casualties, quickly joined by Jean, a look of concern lacing his features.
"It sounds like there's a riot out there!" He mused, watching Marco slide food out of the refrigerator.
"They're fighting over what I'm making for breakfast." He replied with a sigh, pulling out a few pans and the skillet. "Want to help me cook?" He hoped.
Jean laughed, taking the carton of eggs and reaching for a bowl.
"How many eggs should I make?" He asked. Marco turned the stove and skillet on, reaching for the pancake mix.
"So many." Was his reply. Jean blinked, opening the entirely full carton of eggs.
"Er, how many is so many?"
"All of them."
"Uh, are you sure?" He inquired. Marco only hummed in agreement, pouring the entire box of mix into a large bowl.
"And half of the second carton." He added, nodding towards the fridge. Jean looked at it with doubt, opening the door and finding the egg carton in question. He cringed at the thought of so many eggs.
"You can't be serious!" He moaned, taking it over to the counter anyway.
"I couldn't be any more serious." Marco deadpanned, mixing the pancake batter with a fork before dropping a few onto the skillet, pausing for only a second before opening the package of bacon and laying it in one of the pans. It popped and sizzled upon contact, and he left it there to cook.
"Alright, so, eighteen eggs. How should I cook them?" Jean asked, still staring at them with disdain.
"All of us eat them scrambled, except for Nardo. He likes his over easy. And you should make some for yourself too. You like yours sunny side up, right?" He recalled, thinking back to breakfast at Reiner's house.
"Yeah, or Benedict. But that's too much trouble." Jean grumbled, getting to work cracking the eggs in the bowl he'd retrieved.
He saved four, beating the rest until they were the right consistency, then he claimed one of the pans, dumping as much of the eggs into it as was manageable before reaching for a spatula.
Marco flipped the pancakes, then got started on some toast, using up a whole loaf of bread by the time he'd finished.
Jean, after finishing the eggs, was put on biscuits and gravy duty while Marco finished up the pancakes and bacon. He groaned when he realized that he hadn't preheated the oven, but Marco only laughed and put the biscuits in, already having taken care of that. Once those were done, he began shoving each dish into the oven on low heat, knowing his siblings wouldn't eat if it got cold. Jean worked on the gravy, and managed to finish at the same time as Marco was done with two enormous stacks of pancakes.
Jean was still overwhelmed, but he tried to help Marco plate the food. After getting shooed away for fucking up everything, he got out the butter, jams, and syrups and put them on the table. Once they decided they were ready, the teens called for the procession, and everyone got in line.
Marco distributed the plates like a pro, making sure everyone got what they liked, in the correct amount, and nothing they wouldn't eat. Once they were all sitting at the table and griping at each other about hogging the butter or the syrup, he started pouring their drinks, sending Jean out with two at a time, telling him who got what.
Finally, all was quiet as the Bodt children stuffed their faces, and Marco turned to Jean with a heavy sigh, wiping his brow with a dish towel since he'd neglected to put on a shirt when Marie woke him up. Jean leaned over and rested his head on his boyfriend's shoulder, huffing as well.
"Fuck, I need a cigarette." He lamented. Marco stiffened, pulling away to look at the smaller seriously.
"Jean, you said you'd quit!" He reminded, and Jean stared at him dumbly.
"Uh, yeah? I did." He replied.
They had a stare-off, then Marco narrowed his eyes.
"If you quit, then why would you say that?" He demanded.
Another stare-off.
"Babe, I'm still going to want cigarettes for a while. Maybe always. It's not called an addiction for nothing. Once upon a time I used them to calm down from stressful situations. But there's a difference between wanting one and having one. It was just a joke." He explained, turning to make his own plate, making sure he left enough for Marco.
Marco thought that over, then wrapped his arms around Jean's waist, holding him from behind and burying his face in the other teen's hair. He wasn't sure if he felt relieved or bad, but either way, he thought Jean was due for a proper embrace.
"So, you haven't smoked?" He questioned. Jean sighed, halting in his movements for a moment and putting his plate down. He turned, returning the embrace.
"No, I haven't. I told you I'd quit, and that's what I did." He offered solemnly. Marco smiled, then took a deep breath.
"Alright, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions." He admitted, nuzzling into Jean's neck. The other just held him, patting his back while his boyfriend took deep breaths of his scent. It was still a nice smell, even without the smoky undertone of tobacco.
"It's fine, babe, I shouldn't have said anything." Jean replied, pulling away with a kiss. Marco smiled softly, looking down at his feet.
"Don't be mad at me?" He plead, looking up at Jean hopefully. The one in question scoffed.
"As if anyone could be mad at you." He groused, kissing Marco's nose and grabbing his plate. The freckled boy blushed, grinning happily as he followed suit and made his own plate, getting a coffee cup down for Jean and pouring a glass of orange juice for himself. When Jean finished making his coffee, they joined the rest of the Bodt household, most of whom were already nearly finished eating.
"And you were worried it would be too many eggs." Marco laughed. Jean only shook his head in disbelief.
One by one, everybody finished, and they scampered off into their rooms to occupy their time, leaving the bottom floor completely empty and the dishes to be done by the oldest members of the family. Marco sighed, getting to work on scrubbing out the pans while Jean collected all of the abandoned cups.
It took them about ten minutes to get everything in the dishwasher, at which point a few of the younger siblings chanced coming downstairs to claim the television for as long as they could get away with it. Marco decided not to play his seniority card, which he definitely could have done, seeing as he was the oldest in the house, but he needed a shower anyway. So he headed upstairs, Jean on his heels, and grabbed a fresh pair of boxers from his dresser.
"I'm going to go shower." He announced. Jean nodded slowly, then bit his lip. He obviously wanted to say something. But what? "Jean?"
After fidgeting in place for a while, Jean looked up, having clearly found some confidence somewhere, for his eyes swirled with determination.
"Can I shower with you?" He asked.
Marco looked at him, surprised, but he finally gave a shy smile once his mind had processed the request.
"If you want to, sure." He agreed, toes curling and uncurling against the carpeting of his room. Jean nodded, getting his own pair of boxers, then he led the way to the bathroom.
They both hesitated once they got inside, awkwardly doing anything but getting naked. But once Marco had the water running, they couldn't put it off anymore, and they eventually gave in and began stripping.
Jean had seen pretty much every part of him by then, but it had been during a passionate moment, when it was hard to think of anything but the love that they shared. Now they were simply naked in front of each other, and the feeling was entirely different. Marco covered himself shyly, eyes on the ground. Jean was in a similar state.
After a few seconds of this, Marco pursed his lips.
"Alright, so, we've already seen each other pretty much naked. And we're totally dating. So why are we still being all shy?" He wondered, looking up at Jean. With the way his pretty whiskey colored eyes shone like sunlight through glass under thick lashes, Jean pretty much forgot what words even were.
"I mean… It's kind of weird for us to act this way, all things considered." He added, experimentally dropping his hands. Jean's eyes automatically plunged downward, but he quickly forced them back up, cheeks getting even redder when he realized what he'd just done. Marco didn't seem to mind though, beyond a bit more toe curling, and he took a few steps until he was directly in front of his boyfriend.
Jean hesitated, but let Marco pull him closer, jolting as skin met skin. Marco's was surprisingly cool, belying his warm looking skintone. But Jean could feel it heating up where it met his own, a flush spreading downward from his face.
After awkwardly embracing in the bathroom that was quickly becoming humid with the steam from the bath, Marco pointed out all of the water they were wasting, and pulled the paler boy behind him into the tub, drawing the curtain across and switching the water to the showerhead. He yelped when the first spurt was cold, lurching forward and nearly knocking the both of them to the floor.
Jean managed to catch him though, shaking his head and rolling his eyes.
"Doesn't everyone know better than to actually be under the spout when the water first comes out?" He wondered, reaching for the shampoo while Marco ducked under the water and got his hair wet. He stuck his tongue out, ignoring the drops that fell on it. He made to switch places with Jean, but the other teen halted him, reaching up and scrubbing shampoo into his dark locks without much warning.
Marco was a bit surprised, but the pads of Jean's fingers and his short nails felt nice against his scalp, so he leaned over a bit to give his boyfriend a better angle. It turned out to be a massage of sorts in the end, turning Marco into jelly and covering Jean's hands in a fine lather. Marco smiled lazily as he rinsed the soap out, finally giving Jean his turn under the spray while he scrubbed at his body. He returned the favor, shampooing Jean, and then they traded again, Marco stepping out with as much grace as a jelly-person could.
He was nearly done drying off when Jean got out too, and he handed him a towel, wrapping his own around his waist and shaking his hair to get some more of the water out. Jean scoffed as he found himself on the receiving end of a small drizzle, shoving Marco gently. They both laughed.
By the time they had exited the bathroom, Mrs. Bodt was home and already working on a massive lunch for everyone. She asked Marco to run out to the car and retrieve the rest of the groceries, and Jean, of course, offered to help. Though loaded down to the point of collapsing, they managed to get it all in one trip, shakily squeezing through the door and setting the bags on the floor. Marco got to work on putting things away, and Jean did his best to find the correct places for things.
They sat down for lunch, then Marco announced that it was time to study, much to Jean's chagrin. He didn't argue though, even as Marco dragged him up the stairs and planted him on the bed. He took the desk to himself and pulled out a couple of textbooks.
"Baby-" Jean began, taking his own books out despite the whine in his voice. "Yesterday was prom! Can't we chill for the weekend?" He groused. Marco tsked, opening the top textbook to the right chapter.
"Finals are soon." He argued.
Jean grumbled, thumbing idly through the pages, barely skimming anything. Marco frowned, thinking about what he could offer as incentive. Then he grinned.
"I'll let you take me on a date if you get at least a B- on all of your finals." He announced. Jean perked up, looking over at the freckled teen seriously.
"Like, a real date? You'll let me buy you a NICE dinner?" He demanded. Marco sighed, but nodded. Jean held his finger up skeptically. "When I say nice, I mean, like, better than Red Lobster." He warned. Marco whined, but nodded. He would sacrifice Jean's money if it meant the guy would pass his finals.
With a goal to work towards, Jean was much more excited to read through his Biology book, and Marco only chuckled, setting to work on making a study guide for the both of them.
A/N: Sorry this is late in coming. I'm a literal mess right now trying to get everything figured out. As I mentioned previously, I've moved out, and school started back up, and I'm working all the time, and it's just a general glob of "wow, this is hard."
I expected it to be hard, but it's still taking some adjusting, needless to say. And it's frustrating how little money you truly find yourself with, despite how much effort you put into everything. I can't even afford the textbooks I need, or a new pair of work shoes that I've needed for longer than I care to admit. It's the little things that you don't think about that sneak up on you.
But you know, I'm eating, and not dead. So that's something, at least. Today was really rough, but maybe tomorrow will be better. (I hope so, because I can barely even stand up right now, like, wow. I almost fell off the stairs trying to get home.) And I don't have to work tomorrow, just class.
This author note is turning into a diary entry, wow. Alright, well, JeanMarco and stuff. Tumblr, thanks, art, please, thank you. That's how these usually go, if I'm not mistaken. Like I said, you can find me on tumblr under KuroRiya, and I'm tracking fic tmttr for anything related to these dumb boyfriends.
Alright, I think I probably ought to go rest. Which actually means do more writing. But shhhh, we'll pretend like I'm actually taking care of my likely waning health. Yup. I'm responsible.
Till next time, guys. Thanks, as always, for reading, and you know how I love the feedback!
KuroRiya
九六りや