We were planning to get back to Coirtney that saturday so my parents drove us to the airport after we said goodbye to everyone. When we got to the airport, my parents got out and pulled our bags out of the back. Then they both hugged me. My mother also hugged Jean and said, "I hope you can visit again, Jean." "I'm sure I will, Mrs. Bodt." He responded. "Camelia." She corrected. Jean smirked, "Right." My dad shook my Jean's hand, "Nice to meet you, Jean." He said, smiling, "Take care of Marco." I felt my face get a bit hot as Jean nodded and smiled. Then the two of us were on our way to our flight. The ride was pretty much the same as before except that I didnt wake up until the flight was over, thank goodness. When we got off of the plane in Pennysylvania at around seven and got our bags, we headed down down the escalator and saw Connie and Sasha waiting for us. "Hey!" Connie said, hugging Jean. "Hi, guys!" I exclaimed. Sasha hugged me then we switched and Sasha hugged Jean as Connie greeted me. The four of us started heading back to Coirtney. Jean and I in the back, Connie driving, and Sasha in the passenger's seat. "So, Pixis forgot about Secret Santa so now it's New Years Secret Santa." Connie said. Oh. A Secret Santa, huh? Jean groaned, "Dammit... I was happy we werent doing it. I got friggin Bertholdt last time. I cant work with that." "I think that sounds fun." I said. "Of course you do." He smirked at me. I smirked right back, "Hey! I'm offended." I exclaimed. Jean grinned, "You're a nerd." I rolled my eyes, "Right." "So!" Sasha started, "Anything interesting happen over the break?" Connie looked in the rearview mirror and wiggled his eyebrows at us. Jean turned pink. I smiled softly at him and said to Connie, "I found out that Jean doesnt like dogs." "Oh yeah. He hates them. My dog is the devil, apparently." Connie said. Jean grinned, "That thing peed on me, Connie." He laughed, "She pees on everyone! It means she likes you!" Jean laughed, "Dude! What the fuck? It does not!" Connie just laughed more. Jean shook his head. "You're an idiot." He said. "Hey!" Connie exclaimed. "Dont be rude to your chauffeur." Jean rolled his eyes, "Dude, I could pay for a limo." "Why didnt you, then?" Jean smirked, "Because you're a good friend who I dont have to pay." "But." Sasha said, "Did you two get anywhere?" Her suggestive tone was obvious. I just laughed softly, "You're funny." I heard Jean breathe a sigh of releif.
When we got back to campus, Connie and Sasha helped us get our things to our dorm. We were starting to unpack when Jean said, "Can I have that bed?" He pointed at my bed. What? "Why?" I asked, "Because I was nice and gave you the good one but now I want it." Jean said with a straight face. Pft! I laughed and said, "I dont care. Take it. Whatever." "Yesss!" He was so endearing. I grinned at him then went over and hugged him close. He smiled, hugging me back and tangling a hand in my hair. Again with the hair. "You are just obsessed with hair..." I said. "I guess so..." He responded. I kissed his cheek. He tried to pull away from me but I held onto his hands. "No." Jean saaid, "I have to unpackkk." I just pulled him back to my chest, smiling. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Marcooo." "You're warm, Jean." I said. Jean sighed again. "You are, too, but I gotta unpack." I nuzzled my face into his neck. "God. You're so grabby." Jean said softly. I chuckled into his neck, "Aw c'mon. You know you like it..." Jean just said, "Marco." "No. Please." I responded. He groaned, "You're the one being fucking needy now!" I laughed, "Dont care." Then the door was slammed open. I was pushed away by Jean quickly and Reiner yelled, "I SAW IT!" "Noo!" Jean yelled. I laughed, "I dont care. Go tell the world, Reiner!" I said. "Dude!" Jean exclaimed. I pulled Jean close to my chesr again unconsciously. He pushed against me really hard, "Get the fuck off!" He exclaimed. Woah. I let him go slightly then. Reiner was running down the hall screaming, "JEANMARCO IS OFFICIAL!" Jean went limp in my grip and groaned. I chuckled softly and a little nervously and let him go. He ran to the doorway and looked back and forth between the two directions he could go in. "It's too late, Jean. He's already yelled it." I said, "I can still beat him up!" He exclaimed. "Jean, he's going to kill you if you try that." "No he wont! You forgot, I've been tackled by this guy!" He suddenly ran down the hallway to the left. I followed quickly behind him, speed walking. Reiner hide behind Bertholdt who looked horrified. I saw Jean try to get past Bertholdt when Annie ran past me from behind and pulled Jean to the floor. He fell on his back and when he jumped back up and go for Reiner again, I grabbed him and held him back. "You look like you're gonna rip my head off!" Reiner exclaimed, coming out from behind Bertholdt. "I am!" Jean yelled, "I will when Marco lets me go!" "Jean. No." I said. "Question." Reiner said to me, "How do you date someone so hot-headed?" I laughed softly. "Whatever!" Jean said, "You cant just go and yell something that someone doesnt want you yelling! The only reason why I didnt stop you from yelling it was because Marco delayed me by holding me back for ten seconds!" He growled. Now I felt bad... "I'm sorry..." I said softly in his ear, "I shouldnt have done that..." He sighed and stopped struggling. Then he ripped away from me and went back down the hall towards our dorm. I sighed softly... "I'm sorry about him. I was the one who caused this. I should have let him stop you, Reiner." "No, man! It's cool." Reiner said, grinning, "We're all happy for you." I looked at the three of them and they nodded. I smiled softly then went down the hall and back into our dorm, closing the door behind me, "Jean. I'm really sorry. I didnt mean to hold you back. I was just being my normal 'grabby' self." I said. He sighed, "You owe me now." I smirked, "Whatever you want." "You also owe me from the first time we met and I helped you find your studio." He reminded me. Oh my God that felt like an eternity ago even though that had just happened at least six months ago. Jean put the last of his clothes away and put his peices where they belonged on his desk. I felt bad. I laughed softly, "Right, Jean... But I'm seriously sorry." "It's okay, Marco." I was about to start unpacking again when Jean suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, shit! Marco!" I looked at him. "I have to show you something!" He grabbed my arm. "Right now? But I'm still unpacking." "Come on! You can do that later!" He exclaimed. Insighed and looked at him. I didnt know about this... "Please? Come on." He said. It seemed important so... "Okay okay." I said. He grinned, "Hell yes! Grab your studio key!" What? "My own studio key?" I asked. Jean nodded. I raised an eyebrow and went to my desk to get my studio key out, "C'mon. Let's go." Jean said, grabbing my hand and pulling me out into the hall. I smirked. "Ahh! He's back!" Reiner yelled from down the hall. Jean smirked and closed and locked the dorm door behind us. He then phlled me down the hall. I was kind of worried. "Jean, what is this?" He just grinned and said, "Come on. Trust me." I wasnt sure if I trusted him.
We walked past Reiner, Bertholdt, and Annie to get to the stairs. Reiner was screaming at the top of his lungs as we passed. I was lead outside and we trudged through the snow towards the studio building. I was getting really nervous. "Jean. I'm genuinely scared." I said. He laughed, "Why?" He asked, "Dont be. It's good." I laughed softly, "Okay, Jean." I decided to trust him. We went into the studio building and down the hall to my studio. Jean turned to me. And he suddenly got very pink in the face. He looked down, "Erm... So, I got you something for Christmas..." What? "But it was too big to bring to your house so... I left it in your studio..." Oh my God. "Jean... That's so sweet. You didnt have to do that..." I scrunched my eyebrows together and couldnt help smiling. "I wanted to, though..." Jean said. I pulled him into a hug and he hugged me back and mumbled, "You havent even seen it yet..." He ran a hand through my hair. I chuckled softly, "I dont have to see it... It's the fact that you got me something... Jean, I'm gonna feel like crap because whatever your present to me is, mine to you is going to be inferior..." I had gotton Jean shoes and he got me something that was impossible to carry? "Marco you seriously didnt have to do anything for me. I dont want you to waste money on me. A peice of art from you would be perfect..." I shrugged, "It's okay." Jean pulled away from me and I smiled, unlocking and opening my studio door. I went in and scanned the big room. It looked the same as before until my eyes landed on the most beautiful vintage pottery wheel I'd ever seen. "Oh my God you're crazy, Jean." I said as I went over to it. He shouldnt have done this... Jean came over to me, smiling. I must have looked like a giant dork with the the grin I had on my face. "Jean, this is so nice of you..." Jean looked down, shoving his hands in his pockets. I hugged him tightly and he hugged me back. "You're ridiculous, Jean. How much money did you spend on this?" He laughed softly, "Um. A lot. But it's okay. Like I said, I have money coming out of my ass. It's fine." "You should get that checked out." I responded, nuzzling my face into his neck. Jean didnt touch my hair... "No hair touching this time?" I asked him, "Can I touch yours'?" I started lacing my fingers into his hair and he said, "You can touch it if you want to. But you're the only one allowed to touch it." I chuckled softly, "I'm okay with that." I said. I looked at him and smiled, bumping our noses together then kissing him. He smirked into the kiss and returned it. But then he pulled away from me when the kiss started getting more heated. He was really red. I raised an eyebrow at him. That was... Weird and unexpected. I heard Jean clear his throat. "... Is there a problem?" I asked him. He shrugged a bit, refusing to look at me. It was quiet. This was so endearing... "You know you dont have to be embarassed, right?" I said, stepping closer to him and surpressing my urge to kiss his face and call him cute. I grabbed his hands. "Yeah." He said, "Doesnt mean I'm not." I hummed softly, "I understand. I want you to be as comfortable as possible." He looked at me. I just smiled. "Thank you for getting me the pottery wheel. I really appreciate it, Jean..." He smiled back, "No problem. Now what did you get me?" Of course. I laughed a bit, "I got you shoes. You're welcome." "Are they Uggs?" He knows. I just stared at him, grinning. He laughed, "Holy shit they are, arent they?!" I laughed, too, "Yes they are! But the other pair are boots. So dont worry. I didnt just get you Uggs." Jean was cracking up so hard that he was turning pink. "Oh my fucking God!" He exclaimed, "Amazing!" I laughed softly. "Are they back at the dormroom?" He asked. I nodded. "Let's go!" He then ran out of the studio room. I grinned and came out of the room, watching my boyfriend run down the hall, not waiting for me. "Hurry up!" I heard him yell at me. I laughed and made my way down the hall. He was waiting for me at the door leading outside. Weirdo. The two of us made our way back to the dorm building. We were going to the stairs when Ymir called us from the couch with, "Yo! Guys!" I smiled, excited to talk to her and Christa. "Hey, Ymir." I said, making my way over to them. "Hi Christa." Christa smiled at me. "And how are you, Jean?" Ymir asked, giving him a smirk. He glared at her. I elbowed Jean and when he looked at me, I gave him an understanding smile. He studied my face. Please be bigger than this... He sighed and forced a smile in Ymir's direction, "ai'm good. How are you?" Ymir nodded, "Just fine. Anything different happen over the break?" "Other than Marco and I starting to go out? Nope." Jean... Ymir narrowed her eyebrows, "You guys are dating now?" "Oh I'm so happy for you!" Christa exclaimed. "Since when?" Ymir said. "Since your mom." He answered. I really tried not to laugh, covering my mouth. What did that even mean? "What the Hell does that even mean?" Ymir exclaimed. Exactly. "Im in too much of a good mood to be brought down by you. Now goodbye." Jean replied, then he went back to the stairs and went up. Man... "I apologize about that." I said, letting out a small and, hopefully, casual laugh.
I soon came back to the room, smirking, after apologizing thoroughly about Jean's behavior. "Jean. You cant just leave me to deal with the aftermath." I said. Jean laughed, "That's why you're here, though!" I laughed, too. "Oh really? That's why you're dating me? So I can deal with what you dont want to deal with?" He smirked softly, "Yes." He said, stepping over to me, "But, secretly, I'm dating you because I like you a ton." I felt my face get flushed. I smiled. Sweet. "I like you, too..." I said. He kissed me breifly. I grinned and Jean smirked, "Now where are the Uggs?" He asked. Right. I chuckled and headed over to the closet and opened it, reaching up and pulling two shoe boxes down, then setting them on my bed. Jean walked over and I opened both boxes. The Uggs were grey with white fluff as accents. The boots were black and went to right above the ankles and they had red rubber soles. "Hell yes!" Jean exclaimed. Then he kissed my nose. I smiled more and laughed softly. "Thanks, Marco. You really didnt have to." I chuckled, wrapping my arms around his waist, "I had to. You deserve it." He laughed softly, playing with my hair with both of his hands, "I really dont. I'm the worst... But thanks..." Marco made a hummed softly. "I love you, Jean..." His face got really pink and he half smiled, "I love you, too, nerd."
We started class again on January 5th, 2015. We were in Pixis' class and he said, "Okay. Everyone line up. We're doing Secret Santa. We'll give presents on Valentine's Day." Then he shook the baseball cap that a bunch of slips of paper were in. Yes! I stood and heard Jean groan from next to me. Right. He didnt want to. I smirked and pulled him up. The two of us headed to the line and as I got in line behind Connie, he said, "Oh come on, Jean!" Then he clapped Jean on the back, "It'll be great! Maybe you'll get someone better than last year. No offense Bert!" "None taken." Bertholdt responded. Jean sighed, "Maybe... You guys can go first." He said, going to the very end of the line. I got my paper quickly and it was Pixis. I was okay with that. It was pretty easy. Everyone was at their seats when Jean finally got up there. Pixis raised his eyebrows and shook the hat, smiling. Jean took the last name then headed back to his seat next to me. I smiled at him sympathetically. He smirked back and opened the strip of paper, reading the name. I was turning back to my sketchbook, ready to continue sketching when Jean suddenly screamed, "JAEGAAARRRR!" And everybody groaned as Connie and I cracked up. "Jean!" Pixis exclaimed, "Now we have to do it over again!" Everyone got back up and put their slips of paper back into the hat. Jean was first this time and I watched him go back to our table, look at his sheet of paper, and slam his head down on the table. After I grabbed my new sheet of paper, I headed back to my seat slowly, so I could read the name without tripping. It was Annie this time. Now I had a bit more of a challenge. I glanced at Annie for a moment before sitting down next to Jean and whispered to him, "Who'd you get?" He slid the paper to me and I looked at it. Eren again... sighing, I said, "I'm sorry, Jean..." He shook his head, "Whatever... I'll get him a good present." "Jean. Dont be mean." I warned. Jean didnt respond. "Okay!" Pixis started, "Listen up everybody!" I looked at Pixis as Jean raised his head off the desk. "We will be doing a life drawing starting next month. I bet you all remember that from your freshman foundation year. I think they do that at Mattheius, too." Yep. And it was very awkward for me. I nodded a bit. "But. We need a volunteer. And we dont have anyone yet." Pixis said, "Does anybody in here want to do it at all?" Everybody was quiet. "Marco should do it!" Sasha suddenly yelled. What?! My face got hot. Jean's hand shot up and he had a massive grin on hus face, "I second that!" I gasped, "Noo!" I exclaimed. "DO IT!" Reiner yelled. I covered his my with my hands and shook my head, "No way!" "Bah leave the boy alone, you crazies." Pixis said, "We'll find someone." "Of course you'd second that, Jean!" Eren yelled. I looked at Jean. He glared at him, "Yeah. Dating much?" It was quiet. "Woah what?" Connie exclaimed, "You're dating?! Why didnt you tell me?!" Jean looked at him with a "really bitch?" expression. I smiled at that. Connie stared at him before sighing, "Right right." He said. "Wait you're dating?!" Eren exclaimed. "No, Jaeger. I just said that for fun." Jean rolled his eyes. "Anyways!" Pixis exclaimed, "In the meantime, I want you to do a collaboration project. So, get into groups of three and-" "Marco and Sasha!" Connie yelled. Oh... I laughed softly. "Dude!" Jean exclaimed, sounding offended, "What the hell?!" "I'll be in a group with you, Jean!" Armin said. "And I actually want to work with Jean and Armin, Connie... Sorry." I said. Connie groaned, "Dammit, Marco. Quit being so nice to Jean! He doesnt deserve that." "I second that." Jean said, raising his hand slowly. I slapped his hand down, "Stop that." I said to him. "Go with your group, then!" Pixis interuppted our banter. Armin came over and pulled up a chair, sitting on the opposite side of our table. Connie, Sasha, and Annie were a group. Mikasa, Reiner, and Eren were a group. And Ymir, Christa, and Bertholdt were a group. "Okay. So." Pixis started, "We will be doing an advertisement." Everyone groaned. I was actually kind of excited. Then Jean yelled, "Whooo!" "Shut up, horseface!" Eren exclaimed. Jean threw a pencil at him and it hit him on the shoulder. I laughed. "Hey!" He yelled. Pixis threw a pencil at Jean and it hit him on the top of the head, "Shut up, Jean. I'm talking." He said, "Now. You will be designing an advertisement. And I want it to be for a movie. Any movie at all. You can make up a movie for all I care. So go ahead and start planning." Pixis finished. Jean turned to us and immediately said, "Horseman and the Return of the Jaegarnauts." Armin and I laughed. "Perfect!" I said, "I love that. Armin?" Armin was cracking up and he nodded. Jean grinned. "We really shouldnt..." Armin said, "But it's too funny to not." "Hell yeah!" "Oh man." Armin said, "Eren is going to be mad." "Dont worry I'll protect you." Jean said to Armin. He smirked. "I'll be right back." I said, standing. I had to go to the restroom. "Kay." Jean said. I then headed out. I sighed softly as I walked down the hallway to the restroom. I got in there and Gerald was washing his hands. He saw me in the mirror and smiled, "Hey! Marco!" He exclaimed, grabbing a paper towel. I smiled back, "Hey." I glanced at the urinals. Nope. I headed into a stall. When I came back out, Gerald was still there, leaning against the wall. Weird. I washed my hands. "So." Gerald started, "How have you been?" "Ah. Great. Thanks." I responded, smiling, "And you?" "Fine..." He responded. Awkward... It was quiet as I dried my hands. "How's Jean?" He suddenly asked. "Um... He's fine." I said, "Why?" I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged, "Just wondering about his health is all." Huh? "What about his health?" I asked. "I figured you'd know by now. Considering you're dating and such." How did he know we were dating? "How did you find out?" I asked, narrowing my eyebrows. "Oh. I heard Reiner." Right. Reiner kind of screamed it to the world. "Right... Well. What about his health?" Gerald just shrugged. That's weird... I figured he was just being bitter about Jean and I going out now so I just said, "Bye." And headed out of the bathroom, not waiting for a response. I was confused and annoyed.
All we did when I came back was work on planning our advertisement. That's basically all we did for the next few days, as well. It wasnt until Friday that the three of us did anything other than that. The groups were really hard at work for some reason. We were in the commons building on the second floor where all the studying couches and chairs and tables were. It was around five and I was about done sketching out what we had decided that we would do. We each came up with an individual sketch then we morphed them together. It was very interesting. There was a guy dressed in galatic armor in the middle and he had the head of a horse. He was standing like he was riding a horse of his own. On the left side, there were headshots of robots that had Eren's hair. And on the right were two headshots. One of Armin who was talking into an ear peice and the other of me. I was half robot, we decided. Jean kept laughing and he wouldnt stop for nearly an hour. Armin eventually said, "We've been working almost all day all this week. We should go do something fun." I looked at him. "We should." I agreed. "Alright." Jean said. I stretched my back and said, "What do you guys want to do?" Armin shrugged a bit. "I dont know. You guys hungry?" Jean asked us. "Yeah." Armin said, "We should go get dinner." I smiled softly and shrugged a bit, "Whatever you guys want to do." I felt like just following them around and not trying to contribute. Jean grinned, "We should walk." He said, standing up. He grabbed our advertisement to go and put it in his studio. Walking? I smirked, "Why are we going to walk?" "For fun." Jean answered. "Be right back." Jean then headed downstairs with the paper. "So. You and Jean, huh?" Armin said. I felt my face get hot. I smiled and nodded, "Yeah..." I said. "Is he a good boyfriend?" He asked. I shrugged, "He's not very good at the social part about it but... He's okay, I suppose. I'm sure he'll get the hang of it." Armin nodded, "He's been with people before but he always was the one getting broken up with. He isnt very good at the communication aspect of it." I nodded. Makes sense. "So you guys got together over the break?" Armin asked. I nodded. "How did that happen?" "Well... It was a few days before New Years and we just got caught up in something we were doing and... He ended up asking me out." Armin smiled, "Good! Everyone's been waiting for it to happen." What? "Huh?" I asked, confused. "Everyone knew you two had feelings for eachother." Armin continued. "Was it that obvious?" I asked. Armin nodded, "Prett much." Well that was awkward... "How long have you been dating for?" Armin asked. "Oh, just a week and a half." I thought you guys were going to make me feel like the third wheel but you two dont really act much different than before." Armin said. I laughed softly. "Oh. Armin, you will never be a third wheel." I saw Jean come up the stairs and I smiled as he walked over. He half smiled back. And Armin and myself stood up, grabbing our bags. Jean grabbed his own bag then the three of us headed out of the building. "Jean. Seriously." I said, taking his hand as Armin walked on his other side, "Why are we walking?" He just smiled at me, "I just felt like wanting to walk. Now that you're starting to get over your vehicle fear, we havent really walked anywhere." Oh wow... He was right. I nodded in understanding, "You're right. I forgot that I used to walk everywhere." Sudenly, my phone started ringing. What? Who could that possibly be? I let Jean's hand go, pulling my phone out of my pocket and answering with, "Hello?" "Hey!" Thomas exclaimed. I narrowed my eyebrows, "I gotta tell you something. So, I'm in this part of Mattheius in the senior district where this junior friend of mine found out they sell pills, dude. I dont know if I should get them but I really want to." My eyes widened, "Dude! Get the Hell out of there!" I stopped walking when Thomas said, "But pills, Marco." "I really dont care," I said, "Messing around with that shit is idiotic!" "But, Marco-" "Thomas Wagner if you do not let this go, I will fly to Texas and make you." I exclaimed. "Marco. I could-look-... You want some?" I was silent... Maybe... No. I couldnt. I sighed, "I dont do that stuff anymore, Tom-and dont you dare send me any!" "Oh come on. Pills, dude." He said. "Again. I dont care. I dont want you to hurt yourself. I'm gonna hang up now and leave you to your decision. You can text me when you've figure yourself out." He was about to say somethring else but I hung up, sighing and extremely worried. "What was that?" Armin asked. Oh right... These guys were still here. I shook my head, "My friend, Thomas, at Mattheius did some really really dangeous stuff during highschool involving pills and alchohol and we've been lucky enough to get him off of it in the past year but... He found out that he could get some from someone at Mattheius..." I shook my head again in dissapointment, putting my phone back into my pocket. "Marco." Armin started, "Is he going to be okay?" I sighed, shrugging, "I dont know. Hopefully he'll make the right choice. It's not my decision. And im in Pennysylvania and he's in Texas so unless I fly there, I dont have any control. Which I might have to fly there in a couple of days if he doesnt do the right thing and it gets bad like before...""You said," Jean suddenly started, "'I dont do that stuff anymore.'" He raised an eyebrow and I knitted my eyebrows together, nodding, and smiling guiltily, "Y-Yeah. I stopped doing what Thomas was doing during my sophmore year of highschool." "Marco why did you do all this stuff?" Jean. Remember these things, please. I sighed softly and stopped smiling, "Because my sister died..." He groaned, realizing it was a dumb question, "Sorry, Marco..." I smiled a bit and went over to him, kissing his cheek, "It's okay, Jean." "Marco dont forgive me so quickly. I'm fucking rude!" He exclaimed. "Jean dont make this about yourself." Armin warned. Jean sighed, "Yeah yeah! Whatever!" I smiled softly. "All I can do now is wait. So I'm not going to worry until later on if he does something stupid... Come on." I said, then I put an arm around Jean's shoulder an my other arm around Armin's shoulder and the three of us kept walking. We went to dinner and when we came back, Armin said that he knew of this place that overlooked the whole city and we all agreed that we should go up there. So Armin drove Jean's car up to the location and we all got out, the windows to the car still open and the car still on so we could hear the music coming through. The car was driven close to the edge of the cliff we were now on and Jean immediately climbed up and stood on top of the car. The sun was setting so the sky was purple, pink, and yellow. It was cold but it was still very nice. Armin climbed up next to Jean and sat down. I got up on top of the car and sat in between the two of them. Armin took his sketchbook out of his bag and started sketching in it. "Armin, this is cool." Jean said. Armin laughed softly, "It is, right?" Jean nodded in response. My phone suddenly vibrated and I pulled it out of my pocket and unlocked it, tapping away at it after reading a text from Thomas that said, "Didnt get em happy?" I smiled, "Thomas didnt do it..." I said. "Thank God." Armin said. I was so relieved, "He resisted and didnt get it..." Jean grinned, leaning over and kissing me on the temple, "Looks like you made a lasting impression." Oh... I felt my face get hot and I directed my smile at him. I leaned forwards and kissed him on the lips gently for a few moments. He was very pink when I pulled back. He half smiled and scooted closer to me. So I decided to pull him onto my lap. "There is no need for this." He said. I just laughed softly and wrapped my arms around his waist. He rested his back against my chest and I nuzzled my face into his neck. "You guys are really cute." Armin said. Jean smelled really good and I didnt want to look up. "Why dont you take a picture?" Jean said playfully, "It'll last longer." Then I heard the snap of a photo beingn taken. Jean laughed softly, "Weirdo." He said. Armin laughed, too. I just hummed into his neck and I felt Jean's hand reach up to snake into my hair. I heard Armin take another picture but I didnt mind. "Love you, Jean..." I said into his neck softly. "Love you, too..." He responded
We got back later on and I stayed up for a few hours after to work on some peices but I went to bed after that. It was a few weeks later when the art competition was. It was on a Wednesday and would last for the entirety of Pixis' class. I got dressed up for it. I wore a white button up shirt, a black tie, suit jacket, slacks, and dress pants. I combed my hair for longer than I usually did in the mornings then went over to Jean to wake him up. I looked at him, smiling to myself. He was lying on his back, an arm draped over his face. One of his legs was out from under the blankets, as per usual. He always had one leg out for some reason. But I thought it was quirky and endearing. He had amazing bedhead. He always does. I noticed after a short time of us being in the same dorm that he snored. Not terribly but it was kind of erratic. It could be completely silent then Jean would suddenly snort so loud that it sounded like an airplane had just crashed into the building. It scared me on multiple occasions. Anyways! I leaned down and gently shook Jean's shoulder. He got up, rubbing his eyes and asking, "Why are you dressed like that?" I grinned and pulled him close to my chest, "Because that national competition is today. During Pixis' class." I said. He laced his fingers into my hair, "You're skipping class, then?" I nodded and Jean smiled, "Good luck." He said, "I hope you win." How sweet. I smiled at him, "Can I use your car?" I asked. He nodded, "Yeah. Of course." "Thank you, Jean." I said. He sighed softly, "You look so good." He said. No. My face got flushed and I laughed. "Thank you..." I leaned in to kiss him but he leaned away, "My breath is bad, Marco. You dont want to do that." Oh really? I smirked and pulled him closer to me then kissed him on the lips. I felt him kiss me back and I pulled back after a good amount of time. "You're breath is just fine..." I said, hugging him close. I squeezed Jean slightly, taking in how he felt in my arms. He was light... And definately slim but. It wasnt too terrible. He didnt look or feel extremely underweight but... It made me wonder. "Marco. Am I getting... Soft?" Jean asked. I let my concern go for the moment and chuckled softly, shaking my head, "No, Jean... You're the same as before. Just a lot more compassionate... It's good..." I would have to ask Jean about his weight subtly. "I love you..." I said. "I love you, too, man..." He responded. Really? 'Man?' I sighed, "Jean-" "Sorry. Sorry." He interuppted, "How about: 'I love you, too, babe'?" Oh God. I kind of squeaked but instead I made some weird strangled sound. Jean laughed, "What was that?" He asked. I laughed, too, "Please call me that." I said. I heard the grin in his voice as he said, "Sure." It was quiet then I pulled away slightly. Jean's eyes looked me up and down. He sighed, "God you're so handsome and it's not fucking fair." He said. No. I must have been beet red at this point. I laughed, "Jean. Stoppit... You're just as attractive." He smirked then groaned and shuffled into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. I decided that I should most likely head out now. So I headed out, grabbing my wallet, room key, and the keys to Jean's car. I went out to the black vehicle and got in, turning it on then backing out of the parkig spot wobbily. I didnt crash, though. I made my way to the building where the competition would be held. The giant building was slightly intimidating but I got out of the car and locked it behind me, heading to the front door. There was a sign on the door that said, "Students competing: Go into the main convention room." I sighed softly and went into the building. There were a few people in the main foyer who watched me as I passed which kind of freaked me out but... It was alright. I just went towards the double doors that led into the convention room, I assumed. It had a sign on it that said, "Students enter here." I was right. I headed into there and there were a bunch of people in there. Intimidation. Heart attack. Death. Those were my exact thoughts. In that order. I scanned the room until I saw the familiar blonde hair and eyebrows that I knew belonged to the dean of Coirtney. I made my way over to the group of two seniors and Erwin. "Marco!" Erwin exclaimed. "Hi." I said, smiling. "Hey, Marco." One of the respresentatives said. Gerald. Shhhhhh-ugar... He looked... Nice. His hair was all combed back, he wasnt wearing his glasses, and he had nice black skinny jeans, a yellow long sleeved button down shirt, and a red bow tie on. Plus brown dress shoes. "Hey, Gerald." I said. "Oh. So you know Gerald. Good. This is Sarah." Erwin said, gesturing to the pretty brunette girl standing next to Gerald. She smiled and waved and I smiled back. "I'll let you three get situated. All of your peices are set up here." He pointed to the four peices that were being held up very professionally on racks that were attatched to a cart on wheels. I recognized mine and felt very self conscious all of a sudden. It was a painting of a close up of a woman leaning against the trunk of a giant tree in a forest, her hair flowing. I used Mikasa as a model so it looked like her. One of the seniors submitted two peices. "Which one is yours?" I asked Sarah. She smiled and flushed red, I thought. She pointed to the one that was a life drawing of some sheep. It was very cute. I smiled, "I like it. It's so simple. We need more of that in art, dont you think?" She nodded, smiling widely, "Y-Yeah, Marco! I agree." She said enthusiastically. So Gerald submitted two peices. They were both just of geometric shapes and patterns in a bunch of different colors. They were cool. "What did you use to make these?" I asked him. "Sharpie." He deadpanned. "Oh. Uhm. That's nice." I responded, smiling nervously at him. "Can we talk?" He asked me. "Y-Yeah? Sure." He led me away from Sarah with an, "Excuse us." And we went and stood next to the main door. "So. I've been thinking." He started. Well that was dangerous. "Yeah?" I responded, raising an eyebrow. "And I think you should dump Jean. And be with me. I can totally make you happier." Oh... Remain calm. How utterly blunt of him... "No thanks." I said. "Look, Geral-" "But he totally doesnt deserve you, Marco." I sighed. "Gerald I dont want to go out with you." He just stared at me, "You will." "No I wont. I'm dating somebody I really love... I think you need to get over it... Please." Gerald just kept staring. It was quiet. I shifted uncomfortably. "Right." He said, "Of course. How's Jean?" What was this change of mood? "He's fine... Do you really care, though?" He clearly wasnt a fan of my boyfriend. Gerald feigning concern, put a hand to his chest, and said, "Yes. Of course. Just worried about his health it all." I narrowed my eyebrows, "Okay. What is this about his health? Do you even know anything about his health?" Gerald crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows at me, "He has some weight issues. You know. The usual." I didnt know if that was true... Jean was slim but I didnt see it... "I... How do you even know?" "We were friends in highschool, remember?" He said. I gritted my teeth together, "Until you started acting strange and he dumped you as a friend. I dont want you to get near me or any of my friends, okay? You're being ridiculous." I said, ending this conversation by walking back over to where Sarah was. I didnt feel like messing with him. But... If someone else had noticed Jean's frame, maybe I wasnt crazy in thinking so much about it. However, if Gerald had noticed, maybe it was weird that it was on my mind so often. Gerald was not a person who had a normal inner monologue. I hadnt noticed any weird shifts or habits in his diet... Maybe I was just un observant when it came to this, though... He was eating pretty alright. But we hadnt gone out for meals together in a while. I tried to think about how he ate when he, Armin, and myself went to dinner... Because he was eating decently every time I went to dinner with him before that. He ordered two meals once around the time we first became friends, I recalled, but he barely ate that. At our recent outing, he ate just fine... I decided that worrying about it wouldnt be the best thing so I just... Set it aside as something that Gerald was just spouting about.
I didnt talk to Gerald the rest of the time we wre at the competition. Soon, Erwin came over and told us they were going to begin filming and calling in contestants to the judges. The schools would go in one at a time and Coirtney ended up being in line right behind Mattheius. "Hey! Marco!" Hitch exclaimed, hugging me tightly. I smiled, hugging her back, "Hitch! Hi!" I greeted her. She pulled away, her signature grin spread across her face. "Lemme see your work." I said. She practically glowed. We went over to her cart and she pointed at a watercolor of a pond of fish. I smiled softly at the painting, "It's so cute, Hitch. I love the shading." She smiled in response, "Let's see yours'." She said. I lead her over to the Coirtney cart and showed her my peice. She looked at it, "I love it, Marco. It's so bright." I smiled and felt my face get flushed. "Hey. So. I gotta tall to you about Thomas." She suddenly said. Oh no. I looked at her, my smile fading. "Yeah?" I asked. "Well... His grandad died a few days ago." "T-The one on his dad's side?" I asked. Please say no. He's so close to him. "Yeah. That one... Thomas got a hold of a ton of alcohol and pills and he just..." She trailed off. I sighed... Crap... "Do you need me to come to Texas?" She nodded slowly. I knew it. "Okay... I'll be there in a few days, okay?" She nodded again. "Thank you, Marco." I sighed softly. When Coirtney was called, the four of us went in. The judges asked each of us about out works and they asked Erwin some questions too. I was dying of nerves. Everything was happening at once. I had to find out if Jean was okay, I had to get Thomas to be okay, this competition was happening right now, and arrrgg! I just couldnt do all these things at once! After we were done, I got out of that building and breathed a breath of fresh air... I went back in after a bit and talked to some people who gave me their bussiness cards. Then I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I checked it and saw a text from Jean that said, "You did great! Third place is awesome, Marco!" They must have been watching in class. I smiled, texting back with, "Thank you, Jean. 3" Then I texted again with, "Gerald was being weird... He kept talking about you." "Why? How was he talking about me?" He texted me. "I'll tell you when I get back. You guys in the commons building?" "Yep." "Kay. See you in a bit. Love you." "Love you too, Marco." I smiled softly. I grabebd my piece, putting it in the back of Jean's car before driving back to campus. I decided that talking to Jean about his health was something I would do in private with him. I put my piece back in my studio then headed to the commons building. I headed up the stairs and I saw Jean coming for me immediately, hugging me tightly. I laughed and hugged him back. "God, Jean, you act like you havent seen me in years." "Naw." He said, "I'm just proud of you." I pecked him on the lips and his face turned pink. He grinned and grabbed my hand, walking over to where Armin was and sitting back down. I sat next to him. I noticed how much of the piece they had colored in. "Oh, you guys have a lot done." I said. "Yeah." Armin agreed, smiling. "What happened with Gerald?" Jean suddenly changed the subject. Right. Armin looked up from the advertisement at that. "Oh yeah." I said, "He was saying things like, 'Jean doesnt deserve you.' And, 'I can make you happy.'" I saw Jean's face scrunch in frustration. "I'm going to-" I interuppted him with, "I told him that he needed to leave me and everyone I know alone from now on because he was being very terrible." "I'll still fuck him up!" He exclaimed. I sighed and smiled softly, "You shouldnt do that. Violence doesnt need to be used at this point. If he messes with anyone I know and care about, though, you have my permission to threaten him." Jean groaned, "But I want to beat him up. Not threaten him." I kissed his cheek, "Jean. Please listen to me." He sighed... Then nodded. My mind remembered Thomas then... "Hitch also said something to me and I might have to fly to Texas in few days or so..." Jean narrowed his eyebrows at me. I sighed, "Thomas started drinking again." He raised his eyebrows, "Oh man... Okay... Well..." "Why did he start doing that?" Armin asked. "He's just stressed out." I said, "And he recently had a death in the family. His grandfather passed away and they were very close. Mina and Hitch are trying to help but I have to be there, too." Jean sighed. Maybe Jean coming with me would be a good idea, I had suddenly thought. He could learn something about helping others. "Jean. Would you mind coming with me?" I said. He spluttered, "The fuck? Why?" I shrugged, "Maybe you can help?" Jean grimaced. "I'll just be an issue, Marco. I dont get anything, man." What? I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion, "What do you mean?" "I mean-" Armin interuppted then, "He doesnt get why Thomas is drinking." Jean rolled his eyes but... That was probably true. "Well," I started, "Thomas is in pain from the stress of school and the death of his grandad and probably from some other things going on in his life. So, in order to feel good, he's drinking." Jean nodded a bit, "Doesnt he know how dangerous that is?" He asked. Really, Jean? I stared at him in disbelief and nodded, "Yeah. I did, too. At that point, you just dont care." "Yeah. I"ll go with you." He said. I smiled softly, "Good."
We finished our advertisement that evening and Armin said that he would hold onto it that weekend when we would go to Texas. It was Friday now. "We just got back three weeks ago now we're going on another plane." I heard Jean mumble, as I was putting some clothes and toiletries into a carry-on bag. Maybe him coming wouldnt be the best idea after all... I let out an annoyed, exasperated, sigh and turned to him, "Jean you dont have to go if you dont want to." Jean groaned then it was quiet and I sighed again, "Jean. You just need to realize that this is a big deal... You should at least try to act like you care. You need to be nice not just to people who might help you later on. But to eeveryone." Jean studied my face, "I just dont understand why you have to take time out of your life to deal with this shit." He said. I narrowed my eyebrows at him, "Maybe you should just stay here, then. I thought you could learn something by going like being kind but you clearly dont care at all." "Maybe I should! Why do I care about you or your fucking friends and family? Why are we even together!?" Stabbed with knife. Ow. Jean stepped over to me and got in my face. I was ready to push him when he said, "Oh right. Because I fucking love you and you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. That's why I care about all that shit, Marco." What? "You're such a good person. That's why I think you shouldnt have to deal with things like this. You're the one who deserves to be selfish. Not me. But I know you're not ever going to be like that. And if I want to be with you I have to tone down my own selfish nature. So just ignore me being a socially awkward douchebag and let's go." He backed up and grabbed his wallet, his car keys, and his keys to the dorm as I tried to process what he had said. He went to open the dorm door when I stopped him by hugging him from behind, wrapping my arms around his waist. I heard him sigh softly. "Jean..." I mumbled into his shoulder(he was pretty slim...), "I'm sorry... I just-" "I know." He interuppted, "And your right. I have to be less of an idiot who thinks he's only gonna do nice things for worthless shit later on." I let in a deep breath, then gently exhaled it... "Jean... Thomas is not a happy person... That's why he's doing this... I did it, too. For a reason. Not just because we wanted to be idiots... We all know it's not good for your body to drink constantly. Under the right circumstances, if something bad happens... I understand wanting to get drunk that same day... I mean, I'm not condoning it. And you have to deal with the pain eventually and better sooner than later but... I understand it... I did that during the summer when my dad got laid off by one of his jobs... I was so worried about them. But it's dangerous to do it nonstop..." He nodded a bit then said softly, "I'm such a frickin idiot... So rude and selfish and stupid and just... Worthless." "No you arent." I responded, "Jean... Maybe you are slightly selfish and a little brash but... You arent worthless and dont you dare think that you are, either. You're worth a lot to a lot of people, whether you think so or not..." "Marco..." I turned my boyfriend around to face me then I hugged him close. He hugged me back, "You're so fucking nice..." He said. I kissed his shoulder. Jean nudged me softly and I lifted my head, looking at him. He leaned forwards, pressing his lips against mine. I kissed him back, pulling him closer to me and closing my eyes. I felt him tangle a hand into my hair. I was surprised when the kiss started getting more heated, tongues intertwining, and he didnt pull away. I slid my hands into the back pockets of his jeans. I pulled away after a good amount of time and watched him open his eyes, taking in the wya he licked his lips. I smiled at the flush on his face. "C'mon." I said, letting him go and walking past him to open the dorm door. "Wait!" Jean said. I turned my head to look at him. "One more kiss?" He said. I grinned and rolled my eyes, "Needy." I then opened the door and headed out into the hall. I heard Jean groan and close and lock the door behind him. Then he jogged to catch up with me, "Marco please!" He exclaimed. I laughed and took his hand. "Why?" I asked. "Because you're a damn good kisser. Come on." Inlaughed harder and felt my face get hot. "Jean you're sweet but maybe later." "But Marrccoo..." He groaned. I grinned. "You finally get the balls to kiss me like that then you expect it nonstop." He spluttered at that. "Hey! It took me a while!" I kissed his cheek, "I know. Congrats." I said, letting his hand go and heading down the stairs with him trailing behind me.
The plane ride was shorter this time and I went to sleep, as per usual. When we got off of the plane and I turned my phone on, my text tone went off, like, 30 times and I looked at the texts, worried. But they were just texts from Mina that said, "Hitch and I are waiting hurry up!" "Tell us when you're here!" "Hurry!" I sighed with relief as I finished them, "Just Mina and Hitch freaking out and asking where I am." I tapped away at my phone, responding with, "We're here, Mina. Calm down." Then we headed down the escalator. I immediately saw Hitch and I jogged over to her and Mina. Jean trailed behind me. Mina stood as I approached, "Oh there you are!" She said as she hugged me. I laughed softly and said, "Yeah. I was on a plane, Mina." "Sorry." She said, "I was just worried." I nodded and pulled away from her then went and hugged Hitch. Mina went over to Jean. "Hi, Marco." Hitch said. I smiled softly, "Hey." Then Hitch went over and hugged Jean, "I'm glad you're here, Jean!" She exclaimed. He hugged her back, "Ah. Yeah. Thanks?" She grinned and pulled away, patting him on the head. I watched him roll his eyes. "Okay! Let's go!" Mina said heading for the door. We all followed her to Thomas' van. "He's not here, is he?" I asked. Mina giggled, "No! That'd be bad." She then got into the driver's seat and Hith got into the passenger's seat. Jean and I got in the back. All of us closed our doors behind us and Mina started driving to Mattheius. I noticed Jean's leg started shaking and he twisted my nose ring. Something he only did when he was nervous... I took his hand. He looked at me and I smiled softly, "It'll be alright..." I said. Then I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Yeah yeah." He said, dropping his hand from his nose ring. We eventually pulled up at the huge main buildig. Mina parked and the four of us got out. "He hasnt been going to class since Monday." Mina said as we walked through the front door of the big building. Jean kept close to me and he held my hand. "Okay..." I said, knitting my eyebrows together. Worrying... "Marco!" A voice exclaimed from down a hall behind us. We stopped ad turned as a guy with short spiky greyish hair and brown eyes, with a very thin face jogged over, Daz, followed by a guy with short black hair and an undercut with beady grey eyes, Tom. They were both smiling widely and I smiled back, "Hey, Daz. Tom." "Hey!" Tom exclaimed, "What're you doing here?" I chuckled softly, "I'm here to help Thomas out." "Oh yeah." Daz said, "Poor guy hasnt been in class all week." Then they turned their attention to Jean. "Who's this?" Tom asked. "Ah. This is my boyfriend, Jean. He goes to Coirtney in Pennysylvania with me." I said. Jean grinned a bit and rubbed the back of his head. "You go there, too? Holy shit." Tom said. "Yeah!" Daz exclaimed excitedly, "You guys got third, right? In that competition Marco was in for Coirtney." "Yeah." Jean said half grinning, "Pretty cool if you ask me." "It is!" Daz exclaimed, "I'm actually thinking about changing schools after that." "Oh my God. Really?" I asked. "Yeah. A lot of us are." Tom said. Inlaughed softly, "Everyone just piles in." "It could happpenn!" Tom exclaimed. "That would be so good for Coirtney's reputation." Jean said and I nodded in agreement. "Right?" Tom said. "Well we'll let you get back to it!" Daz interuppted, "Thomas needs some guidance. Good luck, guys." I smiled, "Nice talking to you guys again." Then the four of us kept walking. We went outside and towards the dorm building that was next to the courtyard. The courtyard had grass and trees. Plus a fountain in the center and benches scattered around the lot. Gravel paths leading around to each building from the center. The four of us head to the building and Mina opened the door for us, coming in behind us and letting the door swing closed behind her. We were standing in a hallway and there were doors to room on the hallway opposite. We headed down the hall towards the stairs to the next floor. The inside of the building had wooden walls with light wooden doors and a red carpet. The Junior dorm building looked very different, I noticed. We went to the third floor of the building and we stopped at a door that said 307 C. I sighed a bit, letting go of Jean's hand. "I'm gonna go in and talk to him." Mina nodded. I put my bag down next to the window on the opposite wall then knocked on the door. It opened after a long while, and Thomas looked awful. He was wearing just boxers and he was pale and had dark circles under his drooping eyes. He was frowning and squinting through the light and his hair was totally messed up. "Oh shit..." He mumbled, covering one of his eyes and trying to focus, "What are you doing here...?" I pushed him into the room and went in, closing the door behind me. "What're you here for, Marco...?" Thomas mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I'm here to help you..." I said gently. "I dont need help." He said. Denial. "Thomas... You do. What did you get from that girl?" Thomas cleared his throat and pointed to his bed. I noticed a ton of bottles of every kind of alcohol ever and bottles of pills sitting next to his bed. "Thomas... You shouldnt have gotton it." "Marco. You dont even know what happened..." "Yes I do. And I understand why you're doing what you are, okay?" He just sighed. "No you dont, Marco." "Thomas. A family member of mine died, too, remember?" "Not recently! You were never stopped from drinking by anyone because we all knew that you needed to greive with it!" "Thomas. Drinking is not safe. No matter what I did, it's still not safe. Especially not drinking and taking pills together. I want you to give me that stuff." "No!" I sighed softly, "Thomas you will never get anything done if you continue this." "Fuck off, Marco! I never asked you to come!" I sighed softly. He was getting angry. "Please relax, Thomas..." I held my hands up. "Go away!" He exclaimed. I sighed softly... Maybe it was time to be a bit more demanding. "Thomas. Give me that stuff now." I said, holding my shoulders back and narrowing my eyebrows. "NO! Stop telling me what to do, Marco!" He yelled. "Shh. You will not get anything done. Give me it now, Thomas." "Fuck off!" He exclaimed, stepping away from me. He was now very pissed. I didnt know what else to do. He was getting defensive... I stepped towards his stash. "Thomas Wagner if you dont-" He suddenly pushed me really hard into the wall, knocking over a lamp. Then he punched me in the jaw. Which really hurt. "Enough! Stop it, Thomas!" I yelled, pushing him away then gripping onto him really hard. "Hitch get in here!" I exclaimed. Still holding onto a very angry and protesting Thomas, I went to the door, swinging it open. Hitch barged in, closing it behind her. "Grab that stuff!" I said, nodding towards Thomas' stash. "And get rid of it." "NO!" Thomas sobbed. "This is for your own good, Thomas!" Hitch exclaimed as she managed to gather everything in her arms. Then she kicked open the door and it shut behind her. It was getting difficult to hold onto Thomas for such a long time. He eventually just went limp. I knew he was upset. And I felt bad but I couldnt do anything about it. He was reduced to tears. He was sobbing. I sighed softly. "Thomas... Please listen to me, okay?" I said, hugging him close to me. And, to my surprise, he hugged me back. I guess he knew I was trying to help. "I want you to get some sleep... And when you wake up tomorrow, text me first thing. We're going to go do some stuff, okay?" It was silent. Then he nodded. I breathed a sigh of releif. I was about to say I was sorry but... It was for his own good. "Okay..." I said breathlessly. He was still crying. "Thomas. Go to sleep..." I let him go. And he immediately did what I said, going to his bed. I tried to catch my breath as I set up the lamp that had been knocked over and when I turned back around, Thomas was in bed. He'd given up... I went over to him and sighed softly rubbing his shoulder before heading out of the room. I let out a sigh and closed the door. Jean immediately came over to me. "Are you okay?" He asked, grabbed my chin and examining my face. I let out a deep breath, "Yeah. Everything's okay... We just gotta stay for the next few days. I told him to text me when he wakes up tomorrow morning. We're gonna go out and do some stuff. Okay?" The three of them agreed. "But you didnt answer my question." Jean said raising an eyebrow. I smiled softly at him, "I'm okay, Jean..." "You've got a bruise here." He said, running his thumb over my jaw. Oh... I let out a shaky breath, "I'm fine, Jean." He sighed, pulling away after a few moments and going and grabbing my bag then handing it to me. I took it and said to Mina and Hitch, "Please watch him. And call me if something happens." Mina nodded and handed me the keys to Thomas' car. "You dont need these? I was just going to walk." I said. "Marco, take them. We arent going anywhere." Mina said. I smiled softly, "Thanks..." I hugged both Mina and Hitch then Jean and I headed to the front of the University.