I called my mother that evening. "I'm really sorry about earlier..." I said, twisting the end of the sheet on my bed. I was trying not to pace around. "It's okay, Marco. I understand that it was a shock." She reassured. "That and I've been dealing with a lot of stuff lately so it was just another thing that will have to be on my mind." I heard her laugh softly, "Marco. I'm having the baby. Not you. You dont need to think about it 24/7." I laughed, "Yeah... You're right... Sorry. Sorry." "You just need to take some time for yourself. You should go do something fun by yourself and not worry about anyone else." She said. That sounded like a good idea. "Yeah. I'll do that... Really, Mother, congradulations." She laughed softly, "Thank you, Marco. We love you." "I love you guys, too." I responded, smiling, before hanging up. I put my phone on my side table and ran a hand through my hair. "Everything alright?" Jean asked me. He was working on something in his sketchbook at his desk. "Yeah." I sighed, "It's all okay now." "Good." I headed over to him and looked at what he was doing. It was a really cute illustration of a little girl. I sighed softly. "Jean..." I said. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "You need to be an illustration major." Jean just sighed and rolled his eyes, closing his sketchbook. "I'm serious, Jean." He stood and walked past me to the closet. "It doesnt make money, Marco." He said as he pulled his coat out. "But you will be making money. And you'll be happy. Wouldnt you want do something you actually love to do rather than something that just makes more money?" "No." He said, looking at me and pulling on his boots. I sighed, "Well I think you do. And you're going to regret it if you dont. You'll have a degree in the wrong thing." "I dont need your lecture." He said, grabbing his room key, car keys, and his phone. "I'm not lecturing. I'm trying to convince you." I said. "It's all the same to me at this point, Marco." He said. "Look. Jean. This is another thing on my list that has been stressing me out." Jean grimaced at me, "Why?" He asked, "Marco. You cant control everything in the world." He then opened the dorm door. "Where are you going?" I asked him. "I'm going out. I dont want to hear this." I was taken aback, "You're running away?" "I guess." Jean shrugged. "What the heck, Jean? Dont run." I said. He looked at me, "You scold me for fighting and now you're scolding me for running?" I sighed, "No. I want you to fight with words. Not with fists. But dont hide, either." He stared at me then came back into the room and closed the door behind him. "Fine. State your side of this thing or whatever." He said, crossing his arms across his chest. I sighed softly, "I think you should do illustration instead of graphic design because, while it doesnt make as much money, you will become depressed if you cannot do what you want to do. Remember when your dad almost banned you from coming here?" Jean's eyes widened at that, "Remember how depressed you were because you couldnt do what you wanted?" I continued, "That will happen again, Jean... Maybe not now but... Soon. Next year, at least. Maybe after college. When you get a job as a graphic designer then you become aware that it isnt what you wanted. Jean, the environment wont suit you. And neither will the work. Ask anyone and they'll tell you that illustration is what you have skills in, Jean. They will also say that that is when you look the happiest. When you're drawing cartoons and illustrations." Jean was staring at me wide eyed. Then he cleared his throat and said, "The reason why I think I should do graphic design is because of money." I sighed softly, "If I have money, I can live well without having to try hard. I dont want to work to have a happy life. I want it to be handed to me. Because that's all I know. Make sense?" I was... Kind of surprised. I thought he might want to finally try because it would be a different world than where he grew up. But... I suppose that wasnt the case. "I know you work for everything you want." He suddenly started, again, "And I know that it's because you have to. But you dont have to if you would just go back to your original idea of going into graphic design. Like me, you've decided to stick with what you know. You are still going to work for it all. And I am still going to have it handed to me." He was right... I'm doing the same thing... "Jean." I said, "Am I ever going to convince you?" Jean sighed softly, "I dont know, Marco. Most of your arguement was based off of what might happen in the future. Me being depressed in the future. I'll 'regret it' eventually. Y'know... You cant predict that." He was right. I couldnt. "Maybe I can't, Jean. But which made you happier? And please answer me honestly... Making that movie poster or making those four little seasons illustrations of that girl for one of your summer assignments?" I asked. Jean seemed to think about it for a while(one of the longest whiles I'd ever been through)before he sighed, looking down, and mumbled, "The seasons illustrations... I just... Dont like having to collaborate with my art, I guess. It's a fun thing to do every now and then but... Yeah. It'd get tiring and boring after a while... It'd drain me pretty quick." "I know." I said, "That's why I said that being a graphic designer will not be a fun working environment for you. You have to talk to people in illustration, too. But you dont have to collaborate as much as far as art is concerned. That's what lead me to believe that you'll become despressed when you figure out that you dont want to do it and it would already be too late, Jean. Still, though... Money or happiness? You can think about it..." Now Jean wasnt looking at me at all. I knew that he was thinking about it now and considering both sides instead of being a stubborn ass about it like before. I smiled softly and stepped over to him, pulling him close to me. He wrapped his arms around me. "I love you, Jean... I just want you to do what you want..." I said, "And working hard for material objects doesnt mean you get happiness with them..." Jean nodded, resting his head on my shoulder. I was glad that he finally understood that I wasnt trying to attack him.

I managed to sleep okay that night. Not much better. But I managed to get at least an extra hour in. I woke up feeling as extremely exhausted as usual, though. I pulled on khakis, my Hawkeye t-shirt, and put a Star Wars sweatshirt over top of it. Then I went and woke up Jean. I decided that I would wait for him to get ready this time. Then we could go to breakfast together. I was getting tired of the granola at the cafeteria but I didnt feel like driving today. I pulled on my Uggs as Jean came out of the bathroom dressed in skinny jeans, and a green v-neck. "Six more weeks of winter." Jean said as he pulled on his boots. I sighed, "I know..." "Stupid fucking Phil." Jean said. I laughed as he took his coat out of the closet, "It's a groundhog. It doesnt know." I said. "It's a stupid system! That's what it is!" Jean exclaimed, throwing his coat on the ground in frustration, "They could use a goddamn cat and it would give the same result! They could use a human!" I laughed more, "I know, Jean." "Do you think Phil gets paid to fucking do that shit? Because if he does, I would glady fucking take that job!" He exclaimed. "Shh!" I hushed him, laughing softly, "You're so loud!" "I dont care!" He yelled. "Jean. Whoever is next door is going to beat you up." I warned. Jean smirked at me, "Thanks." I smiled softly and stood, walking over and picking his coat up off the ground. He snatched it from me and put it on. "Hey." I said, laughing softly, "Snatchy." Jean grinned at me then grabbed his room key, wallet, his phone and his sketchbook. "Come on." He said. Nodding towards the door. I grabbed my own things and the two of us headed out, Jean closing and locking the door behind us. As we made our way across the courtyard, I felt someone suddenly grab my arm. I stopped, turning. I assumed Jean stopped, too, because his fingers remained locked with mine. Gerald. "Hey." Gerald said, smiling, "What's up, Marco." "Heeeeyy..." I said, pulling my arm away from him. Then he turned his attention to Jean. "Hey, Jean. How are you feeling? Any better with your we-" The word was cut off by Jean's fist in his nose. I knew it was coming. I felt Jean's hand rip out of mine and I stumbled back from the attack. Gerald immediately went down to the snow. Jean stood over him and grabbed he front of his shirt, slamming his back against the ground over and over again. "W-Wha-at the H-He-ell?!" Gerald exclaimed. Then a crowd started gathering. Nonono. Jean would most definately get in trouble for doing this. "Leave Marco alone!" Jean yelled, "He's my boyfriend! Not you-" Jean was cut off by an uppercut to his jaw. There seemed to be a lot of cut off speech going on. The crowd got bigger. They were cheering. I saw familiar faces. Reiner. Connie. They both looked extremely worried at what was happening. Why werent they doing anything about this? Wait... Why wasnt I doing anything about this?! Gerald managed to get control back and he pushed Jean off, who fell onto his back. Jean struggled to get up as Gerald got to his feet. Then Gerald did something that made me regret not stopping them sooner... Was it careless of me to want Jean to hurt this guy? I thought so after Gerald pulled this move. He literally picked Jean up. When Jean's feet werent on the floor anymore, I knew it was going to be bad. My eyes widened at the sight. Gerald got in a few hard punches on Jean's face as Jean struggled in his grip. It happened so fast but I knew I had to do something. I jumped forwards, dropping my sketchbook, just as Gerald lifted Jean up and hurled him at the sidewalk. No. I felt myself run forwards and I put my arms out. I lost all thought. My elbows tore across the sidewalk as I fell forwards to, hopefully, be successful in the mission I had just set out to complete. My right arm, I hoped, would soften the blow he was going to get to the head otherwise. My left arm would try to soften the blow to his back. He fell into my arms extremely painfully. Gerald had thrown him hard. But I had successfully stopped the horrible damage that could have potentially been done to his head. I couldnt believe how easily Gerald had destroyed Jean... I turned my attention to the blonde standing above me. This was over. "I dare you to mess with us again." I said to him, "Next time, it'll be me you get to face." I stood up, holding Jean close to me. I felt his arms snake around my neck. He was not okay... Gerald suddenly lunged at me. I tried to back up but I slipped. I suddenly saw two people jump into the circle from the crowd, grabbing onto Gerald. I managed to get my balance back and focused on Connie and Reiner who were holding him back. Thank God. I felt hands on my shoulders, too. I jerked around. Eren. And Armin. "Oh my God is he okay?" Armin exclaimed. "I-I dont know!" I cried. Eren and Armin both started from my sudden outburst. "I have to get him to a hospital!" "Just take him to Hanji! She's dealt with worse than this!" Eren yelled. I was going to trust Eren. I nodded, heading towards the front building. I refused to look at Jean at all. Maybe later. I didnt want to see how bad it was yet. I wasnt ready.

When I went in, Petra gave me a horrified look and pointed down the hall. I followed her hand and pushed open the door to the nurse's office with my back. "Hanji!" I yelled. She immediately came out of the back room, "Yes?! What?" She exclaimed. Then she saw Jean. "Oh my God..." She said, grabbing him. Jean held onto me, though, and wouldnt let go. Hanji sighed, "You're going to have to carry him." I nodded. She led me to the back room where there were at least three bed type cots set up. "Put him down here." She said, patting the first bed, "I would have him sitting but I dont think he's fully conscious." Well... That wasnt a good sign. I lied him down but he kept his arms around my neck. "Jean... Let go. Come on." I said softly, prying his fingers off. He eventually pulled off. And I stood up straight, opening my eyes, and taking in the damage. It wasnt as terrible as I had been expecting... I mean, it was bad. But not as bad as I had thought. The punch to the jaw had left a nice bruise. He definately had a black eye, his nose was bleeding, and he had scratches. One on his cheekbone and one above his eyebrow. His hair was disheveled(expected)and his jeans had somehow been ripped at the right knee. "This poofy jacket must have helped." Hanji said, unzipping his coat. I nodded. Well... I was a bad boyfriend. I let him get beat up... Even thought I'd told him that I wanted him to fight with words, not fists, the night before... "C-Can I help in any way?" I asked. Hanji shook her head, "No. I dont think so." I nodded, "O-Okay..." "Go ahead and take a seat." She said, gesturing to the chair sitting next to the bed. I did so. As she checked him for head injuries and cleaned up his face wounds, I just felt more and more guilty. "Have you been getting enough sleep?" Hanji asked me suddenly as she cleaned the blood on Jean's chin and below his nose. "Not really..." I responded, "Been kind of stressed..." "You know if you dont get enough sleep, it will just get worse and then you'll get behind on your work and..." She droned on for a while. I would have listened if I wasnt feeling so terrible. I watched her clean Jean's face and put bandaids over the cuts. She had put an ice pack over his eye to stop the swelling. Eventually, she snapped me out of my ignoring her with, "He doesnt have any brain damage that I can tell. I'll do more testing when he wakes up. But. I believe he'll be okay." Oh thank God... "You should go to class. It's starting in five minutes, Marco." She continued. I looked at the clock. "Yeah..." I agreed, "But... I cant just leave." I looked at Jean. She sighed and smiled at me, "I understand. Do whatever you think you should do. He'll be alright, though. He'd probably feel bad for burdening you if you stayed." She was right. He would... But this was really my fault. "Not to mention he probably doesnt want to face you. He got himself hurt pretty bad." He would blame himself. I wasnt completely convinced that I should leave, though. "I cant leave, though... What if he wakes up and I'm not here?" I asked. "Would you like me to tell Pixis if he wakes up? So he can let you know?" I nodded. "Could you? I'll be back after class if he doesnt wake up before then." Hanji nodded, smiling, "Yeah. Go on."

I made my way out of the room and past Petra, out into the snow. I felt awful... I trudged through the mush and past the spot where the fight had been. I went to the class building and down the hall. Class had already started. I was ten minutes late, at least. When I opened the door, everyone stopped, including Pixis, and looked at me. I walked to the table that I usually sat at with Jean and plopped down into my seat. Everything resumed after a couple more quiet moments. Pixis talked about the presentations and something about life drawing. Then he let us go. Connie came over to me, setting two sketchbooks down in front of me. Mine and Jean's. Right... We both dropped them... I gave Connie a weak smile, "Thanks, Connie..." I said. "Is he okay?" Connie asked. "Yeah... He'll be alright..." I responded. "You know your sweatshirt has blood on it?" Connie asked, pointing. I checked where he was pointing. My elbows... That's where I had skidded my arms across the sidewalk. I sighed, "I'm bleeding..." I stood up, walking out of the room. I had completely forgotton about that... I went into the bathroom, pulling my sweatshirt off and cleaning off the scrapes. I then folded my sweatshirt up, with the sleeves tucked deep in so the blood wouldnt get everywhere. I went back to the room, sitting back down. I didnt check to see if everyone stared at me this time. Instead, I opened Jean's sketchbook, flipping through it slowly, taking in every drawing. I turned a certain page and there were a bunch of sketches of me... I looked like a massive idiot, as usual. It was dated September. A shadow suddenly towered over me. I looked up. Ymir. "Hey..." I said. She held out two band aids to me, "These are from Christa and I. She wanted me to bring them to you and tell you that we're glad you guys are okay." "Thanks..." I responded, taking the bandaids. She nodded and walked away. I put the bandaids to good use on my elbows. Then I continued my snooping. I turned the page and, guess what? More of me. Why did he draw me so much? Still September. I went through the next few pages without seeing me. Until the familiar freckles showed up again in November. I was done seeing myself. The next page was in December... My eyes locked on a drawing of me on Jamie's birthday. Woah... I looked awful... My eyes were tired, my hair was ruined, my shirt was even wrinkled to match my mood. And one side of my collar was up. Suddenly, I was hit with sketches of me during the winter break. When had Jean had any time to do these? There was one of me on the ice but that didnt make sense... He didnt even have his sketchbook with him while we were ice skating... I'd have to ask how he did this... I turned the page and it wasnt me anymore, thank God. I came back for some January and February sketches, though. And thhey just slowly went downhill... Not the quality of Jean's drawings. But the way I looked more and more stressed and tired in every sketch. Then there was an unfinished page of March sketches. I recognized one sketch as me just yesterday. I looked like utter shit(excuse me). I just looked so tired and done with everything... I closed Jean's sketchbook and sighed softly. I was losing myself... Suddenly, Pixis' voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "Marco!" He said, "Head to the front building. Just got a text." Thank goodness. He was awake. I gathered my things and practically ran out of the room. I did run down the hall, however, and through the slush to the front building. I skidded in, wiping my feet, before heading to the nurse's office and going in. "Hey! There you are! That was quick!" Hanji exclaimed, smiling, and waving me over. "He doesnt have any brain damage at all, luckily!" I sighed with relief. She led me to the back room and Jean was, literally, on his phone. The idiot. He still had the same ice pack on his eye. Hanji left after I went into the room, thankfully. Jean put his phone down when he saw me. I sighed, walking over to the side of the cot. "Hey..." I said. "H-Hey..." He replied. I gently ran my fingers through his hair, "I'm so sorry, Jean..." He raised an eyebrow, "What for?" He asked. "I mean..." I said, "I'm the one who said I want you to fight with words not with fists but... I let you resort to violence..." Jean snorted, "Oh shut the fuck up..." He said, "I love you, Marco, but come on... You wanted to see that guy get beat up... I heard what you said..." "H-Heard what I said about what...?" I asked. "I heard you threaten him... And say that next time you'd be the one to beat him up..." Oh right... "O-Oh..." I sighed, "I know... I-I'm really sorry... I dont like fighting... I just. I was angry. I didnt know what to do." "I know." Jean said, "It's fine. But sometimes you can't do anything about it other than teach somebody a lesson." I smirked and snorted softly, "Right..." "I mean..." Jean said, "I stopped fighting with Eren because I figured out that it wasn't worth it... Besides. He's helped me a lot of times and put up with my shit all through highschool. And vice versa..." "So... Are you guys friends now?" I asked. "We were always friends, Marco. We just never appreciated eachother. Now we'll be better friends." I nodded. "That's good to hear." I said. "... How's your eye?" Jean shrugged, "I havent really seen my face except in my phone's reflection. But it doesnt feel awesome, either..." I reached up and gently pulled the ice pack away. Jean made a hissing sound. "Sorry..." I said, examining his black eye. "It doesnt look great but... It's not swollen..." "Ugh. Now it hurts." He said. I placed the ice pack on his eye as softly as possible. "Did she say when you could leave?" I asked. "She said I could go at any time. She said I didnt have any brain damage." I nodded, "Yeah. She told me that, too. Do you want to get going?" Jean nodded, sitting up and holding the ice pack in place. I helped him up. "Do you want to head back to the dorm room?" I asked. Jean grinned, "Let's go to class." "Are you serious?" I asked. "Yes! Hey. Why are you holding your sweater? It's, like, thirty degrees, dude." I smirked, "I got hurt a little. There's blood on it." Jean narrowed his eyebrows. "Sorry..." He said. I shook my head, "It's nobody's fault..." I then put an arm around his shoulders and headed out of the back with him. "Bye, guys!" Hanji exclaimed. "Bye, Hanji. Thank you." I said, smiling at her and walking out and past Petra with Jean. "Everyone is going think you're crazy." I said. Jean shrugged, "Gotta go back to class at some point." He said. That was true. Jean and I made our way to the class building(now my third time coming across the yard)and down the hall to the room. When I opened the door, Jean went in first. He had the most friggin confident walk I'd ever seen on him. Like this was a trophy. I smirked, following him in. "Jesus Christ, Jean!" Connie exclaimed. "You should see the other guy." Jean said, pointing at Connie. Reiner boomed with laughter. "Connie and I did see the other guy, Jean! We grabbed him so he wouldnt keep attacking you!" Reiner exclaimed. "Yeah. His face probably wasnt as mangled." Jean said. "Let's see your shiner!" Eren said. Jean grinned and pulled the ice pack off of his eye. There were noises of surprise around the room. "I'm gorgeous, right?" Jean asked. "So pretty, Jean." I said, rolling my eyes, "Come on." Then I grabbed his wrist and went over to our table. He smirked and sat down, putting the ice pack back over his eye. I slid his sketchbook to him. "Oh. Yeah." He said, flipping through it breifly to check for damage. Armin pulled up a chair and sat on the otherside of our table. "Hey. How are you doing, Jean? That was some fight..." He said. "Ah. I'm good." Jean replied, smiling. I rolled my eyes, "You're insane..." Jean just grinned. "Woah. That's a lot of Marco." Armin said, looking at the pages in Jean's sketchbook that he was flipping through. "Hey!" Jean replied, "Shut up!" I laughed softly. "Why are you drawing me, anyways?" I asked. "I'm doing my homework." Jean replied. I smirked, raising an eyebrow, "Homework?" "Yep. Even before we were dating, you were my best friend. So I had to study you and do my homwork." Jean said. "Yeah but that's just homework on my face. Not on my personal life." "Hushushush." Jean replied, "Technicalities." I sighed, looking at Armin, "I think Hanji was wrong. He got some brain damage." Jean grinned, "Shut up!" Armin laughed. "Who's taking my place as Jean's best friend?!" Connie yelled. Jean pointed at me. "Oh! You wanna fight me for Jean, Marco?" I laughed, "No. I dont. Because I'd win." "Oh Hellll no!" Connie exclaimed. "This is weird." Jean said, "Stop. I dont like attention." I knew that Jean didnt get much attention from his friends. And he wasnt used to it. Even if it was just us joking around. I gently patted his shoulder.

I wasnt really surprised at how happy Jean was to be able to fight someone and get his point across to them. Even if he had basically lost, he didnt see it as a loss. And I dont think anyone who knew the context did, either. He did get called to the dean's office and he and Gerald had to face Levi. But Jean was ultimately let off the hook. Gerald. Not so much. He got in some trouble for harassment and being a stalker. So. That's fun. And for the rest of the week as his wounds healed, Jean was extremely happy. On Friday when we gave our presentations for our projects, he was ecstatic to speak about it. Eren wasnt even offended. He thought it was hilarious. Everyone was laughing. Jean's black eye, I predicted, would be almost completely gone by Monday. He had ice on it nonstop so it would hurry up the healing process. The bruise on his jaw was pretty much gone. And he had taken the bandaids off of the cuts, even though he probably shouldnt have. He said that they never stayed on when he washed his face so there was no point in having them. It was Saturday now. And Thomas called me, saying that he'd thrown eveything away. I got confirmation from Mina as proof. I could breathe easy for the time being. "I wish we had the same studio..." Jean was saying, his arms around my neck from behind my chair at my studio desk. "Why?" I asked, "It gives me time to get away from you, you egg." Jean laughed, "Hey. I'm offended. I am no egg." I laughed softly and patted his hand. I felt him rest his chin on the top of my head. "You have a pointy chin." I said. "I'm aware of this." He responded. I smiled softly, "That's okay. I love your triangles." He was silent, "...The Hell does that even mean?" "It means you're made of triangles." He was silent again. "Is that really how my body type is?" "Basically." I said. "That's so weird." Jean said, "Whenever somebody asks me what my dad looks like, I always tell them that he's made of triangles." What? "Really?" I asked. I felt him nod. "That's how I've been describing you to people who ask me what you look like." "Goddamit. Is it bad to wish that I looked more like my round mother?" He asked. I laughed softly, "You're very handsome the way you are, Jean." He just groaned. "Give me a Spiderman kiss?" I asked, tilting my head back to look at him. He looked back down at me and smirked, "Am I Spiderman?" He asked. "Yes." I smiled. He laughed softly and kissed me gently. I kissed him back but pulled away shortly because my neck was dying. However, like an idiot, when I tilted my head back down, the top of my head hit Jean's chin and I heard his teeth clack together. "I'm sorry, Jean!" I exclaimed, looking back at him, "It's fine!" He said, just as frantically, back, "It's fine, Marco." "Oh God did I hurt you?" He shook his head, "It didnt hurt. I swear. I'm fine." "Okay... Let's not do that again, as cute as it was." He laughed and grinned, shrugging, "Whatever you want. It didnt hurt, though." I smirked and turned back around. "Do you want a chair or something, Jean?" "Nah. I'm good." He responded. "You're annoying." I said. He laughed, "Hey! What the Hell, man?" I reached over, opening a drawer and pulling out an energy bar. I was getting hungry. "The fuck?!" Jean asked, laughing, "Do you just keep fucking energy bars in there?" I laughed, too, "Yes! I do. I get hungry, Jean!" He sighed, shaking his head. I ripped open the wrapping and as I chewed the first bite of it, I was suddenly hit with pain in one of my canines. "What...?" I mumbled. "Huh?" Jean asked. "I have... Hmm..." I reached into my mouth and bit down on my finger, gently, to feel which tooth was hurting. "What the Hell are you doing, Marco?" Jean asked. I pressed down on the tooth and flinched. Not good. I pulled my finger out of my mouth and sighed, "My tooth is hurting pretty bad..." I said. "Really?" Jean asked. I nodded and took another bite of the bar. "You gonna get it checked out?" I shrugged, "I dont know... I dont have any health insurance or a regular dentist. I cant pay for it." It was quiet. "I'll take you to get it checked out." Jean said, "I mean, if it's a cavity then-" "Jean... No." Jean sighed, "Just let me, please? I want you to be alright. Plus, I'm not kissing you if you have a cavity." I laughed softly, "It isn't contagious, Jean!" Jean laughed, too. "Jean. I dont like burdening you." "If it was a burden, I wouldnt offer." He responded. "No, Jean." "Yes, Jean." He said. I smirked, "Seriously, no." "Seriously, yes." "Stop!" I exclaimed. He was quiet. Then he said, "I love you." I let out an exhasperated sigh with a groan at the end of it. "I love you, too, weirdo." "Is that a yes?" He asked. I closed my eyes, leaning my head back, and nodded. "Yeah!" He exclaimed. I couldnt help but smile a bit.

So Jean schedualed an appointment for the next day and he let me get a full checkup and cleaning. Which I really appreciated. The dentist said I didnt have a cavity but that my wisdom teeth were going to be an issue if I didnt get them out soon. Also, the dental assistant who lead me back said something to me that nearly made me punch her. I tried not to sound bitter for the rest of the time she was there but it was so difficult. As Jean and I left the building, I explained to him what they had said. He was glad I didnt have a cavity but he wasnt too excited about the wisdom teeth. "You didnt get them removed before?" He asked, "Didnt you have braces?" I nodded, "Braces. And I still wear a retainer. The orthadontist said that my wisdome teeth were coming in when I got my braces off my Junior year of high school. But we just never did anything about it. They never really came in and pushed the rest of my teeth aside but... I guess I should get them removed?" Jean nodded as he got into the driver's seat of the car and I got into the passenger's seat, "Yeah. We'll get 'em out." He started up the car and backed out of the parking space, driving out of the lot. "Okay... If you're sure you want to waste your money on me." I said. Jean smirked, "I love you." He said. I sighed, "Yeah. I love you, too." We were quiet. Then I remembered the dental assistant. "Oh my God! Jean!" I exclaimed. Jean jumped slightly, "What?" "The fucking dental assistant! Do you know what she had the nerve to say to me?!" Jean was quiet then he narrowed his eyebrows, "What did she say? Was it something ignorant?" "Yes." I said. "What?" Jean asked. "Okay. So. I'm wearing these new shoes that Mikasa bought me, right? So, she sees them. And she goes, 'Oh! Is that Iron Man?' And now I'm excited because she knows what it is-" I heard Jean groan but his lips were twitching, "-Shh! Jean let me rant! So. I was like, 'Yes! It is!' And you know what the fuck she said to me?" Jean grinned, rolling his eyes, "What did she say, Marco?" He asked. "She said, 'Go Guardians of the Galaxy!'" Jean immediately cracked up. "It isnt funny!" I yelled, " I almost beat this bitch up!" "O-Oh my G-God!" Jean gasped. "I was literally going to slap her!" I exclaimed. "T-That's really f-fucking s-stupid!" He yelled, trying to compose himself, "I agree with you Marco! I probably would have punched her if she said that to me! Even if I'm not a diehard fan like you!" "I'm justified in wanting to beat her up, then?!" I exclaimed. "Yes! Yes you are." Jean reassured, lacing his fingers with mine. "Good!" Jean squeezed my hand and I smiled. "I kind of waited for a second after she said that to see if she was going ro be like, 'Bah! I'm just kidding!' But she didnt say that... She didnt say it, Jean..." I groaned. Jean laughed.

The next day had a hectic morning. Jean woke me up pretty late. I'd slept through my alarm. There was fifteen minutes left to get to class and since Jean was already dressed, I let him know that he could go ahead to class because I didnt want him to be late. So he told me to hurry up, then he hurried out, himself. I quickly got dressed and brushed my hair and teeth. I grabbed my sketchbook, room key, and phone, then pulled on my Uggs. Of course, today was the day I couldnt find my hoodie so I just grabbed some random black one that I saw and pulled it on as I left the room. I locked the door then went quickly to Pixis' class. I probably should I have listened last week when he was explaining when we would be doing life drawings. I was already a few minutes late so they, obviously, would have started without me. But when I opened the door, I was not prepared for the amount of butt I saw. It was terrifying. I was mortified and I knew my entire face turned red. Everyone immediately started laughing at my expression. I locked eyes with Jean and he was just grinning at me. I narrowed my eyebrows at him and he just raised one of his own. I sighed and saw that the two spaces next to Jean were taken by Armin and Connie. The only empty seat was between Annie and Mikasa on the opposite side of the room to where Jean was seated. So I took a seat there. Annie patted my shoulder as everyone started drawing again. I opened my sketchbook. Darn. If I'd known the model would be here, I'd have brought charcoal. I could only hope that she would be here tomorrow, as well. She was very pretty but I still felt just as awkward as when I had to do this my foundation year at Mattheius. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I pulled it out. Jean. He'd texted me, "Maybe I shouldve warned you" I smirked at him from across the room and he just half grinned back. I texted him with, "Ya think? I was horrified. My innocence, Jean." He texted me back a few seconds later, "Whatever" I looked at him and he stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth at me. I smiled. He was cute. Mikasa suddenly poked my side and I jumped a bit, hearing Jean's slight chuckle, but choosing to ignore it. I looked at Mikasa and she said, "Do you want us to scooch down so Jean can sit here? He can sit next to you." "No no. It's fine." I replied, smiling and waving a hand dismissively. Everyone was already working on their drawings. And I didnt want to mess up Jean and Mikasa's perspective of the model. So I just stayed in place. She shrugged in response and continued with her drawing. I sighed softly, going back to my own. I got up and went to the bathroom at around the time when hour one of two was ending. While I was washing my hands, Jean came in. I smiled, "Hey." I said. He immediately wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me close to him. I smiled a bit and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I dont like not sitting next to you." Jean said. I laughed softly, "Now who's needy?" He smirked and kissed me softly for a breif moment. I smiled wide, feeling my face get hot. "You're a dork." He said, but he was pink and was smiling, too. "I love you..." I said. "Love you, too." He responded. "How's the drawing coming along?" I asked. He shrugged, his smile fading, "Alright, I guess. I always think I'm shit so..." I smirked, kissing his cheek, "You're a great artist, Jean..." His smile came back slightly. "I just dont get why we're doing this. I mean, naked lady. Cool. All for it. But-" I laughed at that, "-we did this foundation year so why are we doing it again?" I shrugged, chuckling softly, "Maybe Pixis wants to see where we are as far as anatomy is concerned?" I guessed. "I dont know." Jean said, "Whatever. It doesnt matter, I guess." "I'm sure we'll find out why soon." I reassured. He half smiled and I leaned down to nuzzle my nose against his'. He smiled and nuzzled back, much to my surprise. "You always do this." He pointed out when I settled my face into the crook of his neck. I shrugged, "I like being close... You smell good..." I felt him take a breath. Then we heard the bathroom door start to open so the two of us pulled away quickly. I doubted that person would care to see PDA. It was just Connie, though, who stared at us for a few moments before giving us a suspicious look, gesturing to us that he was watching us, then going into one of the stalls. Jean and I laughed, "We'd better get back in there..." I said. Jean groaned. "Yeah guys! Quit smooching in the bathroom!" Connie yelled. "You're just jealous!" Jean exclaimed. "I have a girlfriend! I am not jealous!" Connie exclaimed right back. "But you cant kiss her in the boys' bathroom!" "What are you? Five?! Nobody cares if I bring her into the boys room, Jean!" Jean laughed, yelling, "Stop talking and poop!" Connie laughed as the two of us headed out, Jean holding the door for me. "Hey. You're wearing my Pink Floyd hoodie." Jean said when we got out into the hallway. Was I? I felt my face get very hot. "I-I am? I just grabbed the first random hoodie I saw. I couldnt find my coat..." I turned to him, "Sorry. Do you want it back?" I asked, starting to take off the hoodie, "Here-" "No no no!" Jean exclaimed. I stilled then. Jean smirked and stepped over to me, pulling the jacket back around the shoulder it was already off of. I put my arm into the sleeve, the way it was before. "It's fine..." Jean said, "It's kind of nice... It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy." I laughed, still feeling very flushed. He grabbed my hands, pulling me closer to him. I smiled and kissed him softly, lacing my fingers with his'. Suddenly, from behind me I heard an unfamiliar voice say, "Fags." Jean immediately pulled away from me and started going for the two guys who were walking past us. I grabbed him, "Jean no." The guys just scoffed at Jean and headed to the stairwell. As they did, Jean yelled, "Fags are cigarettes!" I laughed softly, "Jean. Calm down." I pulled him closer to me. He sighed and let himself be held. "Ugh... Fucking bigots..." "I know Jean. Just relax." I said, nuzzling my face into his hair, "You cant beat up every bigot in the world..." "Sure I can. If you can help everyone on Earth, I can beat up all the bigots." I smirked and kissed the top of his head, "I love you so much, Jean. Come on. Let's go back to class. I want to see your drawing." Jean groaned and the two of us went back in.

We drew the same woman for the rest of the week from different angles. And the next week, we drew a guy for all five days. There was only another week left after we drew the guy until Spring Break. But it meant that Jean and I could sit next to eachother, which I was glad for. Because I had missed his music. Pink Floyd and New Politics were starting to grow on me. Jean and I were rarely apart nowadays. It may or may not have been a good thing. But we barely ever fought. So I didnt think it was a bad thing to be with him a lot of the time. It wasnt hurting our relationship so I was okay with it. On Monday, March 9th, we were told to pick between the guy and the girl. And sculpt what we'd drawn. I thoight this was weird since our class taught by Gunther was usually the clay class. But okay... I would still do the assignment. Jean had caught a cold on Sunday, which was great. So he wasnt feeling too great. He still came to class, however. We were sitting in the hallway, sculpting, with Eren's group and Connie and Sasha. Jean was carrying a blanket around, which I thought was sooo cute. He currently was wearing sweats and a long sleeved black shirt. He was also wearing the Uggs I'd bought him! And his grey beanie. Plus he had the blanket wrapped around himself. I couldnt get over how adorable he looked. I hadnt expressed it to him because he felt bad and I knew he wouldnt appreciate it. "Dont get your snot on my lady, dude." Connie said when Jean sneezed. Jean grimaced at him then promptly sneezed seven more times. "Ugh..." Jean said. "Need some tissues?" I asked. He nodded and I went into the room, deciding to grab the whole box, then came back out and sat, handing Jean the box. He immediately used three tissues and Eren pushed the hallway trashcan to him. Jean tossed his dirty tissues in there and kept scultping. "I'm sorry you got sick, Jean." Armin said. Jean shrugged, "It happens..." "Must be from the weather but why only you?" Connie asked. Jean cleared his throat and shrugged again. "Make me sick, to, weather Gods!" Connie yelled. Jean smirked and I leaned over to my boyfriend and kissed his cheek. He smiled slightly and pulled his hat down farther. I scooted closer to him so our shoulders were touching. I pulled my sculpture over and continued to work on it. "You dont want to be near me." He said. I sighed, "Jean, I dont really care if I get sick." "Alright." Jean responded, "Not my fault if you get it." Suddenly, there were heels clacking down the hallway and we all looked to see who it was. Petra and Levi. Followed by, what looked like, thirty highschool students. "This is the junior studio arts class." Petra was saying, "Along with some of our students." Oh God. I felt realy nervous. Then Levi stopped in front of Jean and I. Which caused Petra and the kids to stop. I almost died of nerves when Levi leaned down towards Jean with a grimace, "Are you sick, Kirchstein?" He asked. "Ah. Yes, sir." Jean replied. "That's extremely disgusting. You should be in your room, away from others." "It's just a cold, sir." "I didn't ask." Levi replied, starting to walk again. Petra and the students coninued moving, as well. I was even more nervous now as the kids stared at us. I held my breath. And before I could think, as the last kid turned away, I blurted out loudly, "I love school!" And everyone in the group in the hallway died of laughter. I just made a disgruntled, nervous sound. Jean started having a coughing fit in the middle of his laughing session, "Oh-my-fuc-ucking God, M-arco!" He yelled. I pinched the bridge of my nose. I was a massive idiot. "WHY DID YOU SAY THAT?!" Connie screamed at me, cracking up. I laughed, too, slightly, feeling flushed, "I dont know!" I exclaimed. Then I started fake crying. "Marco you need to relax!" Armin exclaimed. "Ehhh..." I said. Suddenly, Jean threw his arms around me, hugging me very tightly, "I love you so fucking much!" He exclaimed. I laughed and hugged him back. "You're suck a massive fucking dork!" He continued, putting his face into the crook of my neck. I noticed that Sasha was, literally, crying with laughter. "Oh my God, you guys!" I said past Jean, "It wasn't that funny!" "Yes it was, dude!" Eren yelled back at me through his own tears of laughter. "I wish that had been recorded." Mikasa said. "Security cameras are a thing." Armin pointed out, gesturing to the camera in the hallway that was in the corner of the ceiling. "Oh my God. Whoever is watching that must think we're all insane." Connie said. "Well. Considering what they've already had to watch from us in the past two, almost three, years at this place, they probably already think we're insane." Armin said, laughing softly. "Jean... Please let go now." I said. "No. I'm staying here forever. I just love you that much." He responded. I groaned, "But how am I supposed to get any work done?" "You dont." I laughed softly, nuzzling his hair with my nose. "Ew. PDA!" Sasha yelled. Jean flipped the bird in Sasha's direction and I gently reached my hand over to his, lacing my fingers with his so he would stop that. Then I pulled his arm back in with my own. Sasha just laughed. "You guys dont mind, right?" I asked, "I dont think he's letting go anytime soon." "Naw. Whatever." Eren said. "Lies." Jean said, "If you really wanted me off, you could have already pushed me. But you dont mind." I smirked, "I will push you off if you dont hush." Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my neck and I jerked back, "Ow! Jean! Did you just bite me?! Now I'm definately getting sick!" Connie and Eren both cracked up. I heard Jean laughing, as well, and I definately felt it. I sighed, "You're such a pain in the neck." "That was a bad joke, Marco." Jean said. "It started as being a serious sentence, I swear. And I'm allowed to make a bad joke. You just bit me!" Jean laughed, "Yeah but you're still not going to push me off. So I'm good." I sighed. He was right. I was too nice.

I was pretty excited to see where Jean lived over the break. Jean wasnt excited at all. Whenever I mentioned it, he just groaned and sighed. We'd decided that I would stay at his house for the first half of the week, then we would fly to Montana from New York on Wednesday and spend the rest of the time until Sunday, with my family. Jean didnt want to spend the whole break at his own house unless I was there. But I couldnt stay for the entire time. So he just planned to come with me to my home. On Wednesday, Pixis explained to us that he was expecting us to leave our peices at school in our studios. And then he gave us another assignment. 50 small sketches. 20 had to be landscapes outside. And the other 30 were just other things that were sitting outside. Bushes, trees, puddles, etc. But everything had to be drawn outside. We couldnt take pictures then draw from the pictures later on. I decided to start the assignment before the break actually started. Jean refused to do that because he still felt bad and he didnt want to sit out in the cold. I almost convinced him by telling him that he could huddle with me the whole time but he still refused, in the end. So Eren, Connie, Reiner and I hung out for a while as we started the sketches. We were sitting in the courtyard. "So why didnt Sasha want to come?" Eren asked Connie. "She doesnt want to sit in the cold before she actually has to." "Yep. Bert and Annie said the same thing." Reiner chimed in. I smiled a bit, "Same with Jean. Except he's sick. So that adds to it." "So..." Connie started, "About you and Jean." I looked at him and he was grinning at me with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah?" I asked, raising an eyebrow of my own. "Have you two done the do yet?" Reiner laughed loudly and I felt my face flush deep red, "N-No! Connie! My goodness! That's kind of personal!" "Y'know Jean's a virgin?" He asked. Now my face was even more hot. Reiner was dying of laughter. I spluttered, covering my mouth. "Why are you telling me this? I would have found out eventually!" "Yeah but it's more convenient this way!" Connie exclaimed. "Oh my God please stop..." I begged. Connie laughed. "Wait. Marco, are you a virgin?" Eren suddenly asked. I screamed internally, "Why does it matter?" I asked. Connie, Eren, and Reiner looked at eachother then looked back at me, "You arent, are you?" Connie asked, poking my shoulder with a smirk. I sighed, "No. I'm not." "But which way, is the real question." Reiner said. The three of them stared at me, waiting for an answer. My eyes widened. These guys... They knew more than I thought they did. "Um... What exactly do you mean by that?" I asked. The three of them sighed in frustration. "Marco! You know!" Eren exclaimed. I fake cried, "I dont wanna say..." "Are you no longer a virgin on top or on bottom, Marco?" Reiner exclaimed. "Yes!" I yelled, without thinking and just giving up. They would keep pestering me so I just figured I should say. "Both!" Connie yelled to Eren and Reiner. The three of them cheered and whistled and my face just felt like it was going to be burning forever now... My phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket. Jean. I answered with, "Jean help. Our friends are pestering me about sex." The three idiots next to me laughed. "What?" Jean asked. "You heard me..." I said. Jean laughed over the phone, "What have they told you?" "Things, Jean. Things." Jean was silent, "Should I ask?" "No. It's okay. What's up?" I asked him. He had called me for something, most likely. "I'm bored and I miss you. Come back." He said. I laughed, "Jean! I am trying to do an assignment!" "Clearly not if you're talking about sex!" I laughed softly, "Okay... I'll be back in a few minutes, alright?" "Okay." Jean replied. "I love you." He said. "I love you, too." I reaponded. And the three next to me started whistling as I hung up. I rolled my eyes, "Jeez... You three..." "So you're leaving us for the sick horse?" Reiner asked. I laughed softly, "Yes. I am. After I finish this sketch." It was quiet then Connie said, "Are you going to do the do?" "Connie!" I exclaimed. The three of them laughed and I shook my head, smiling slightly. When I finished my sketch, I said goodbye to them and as I walked away, I heard Reiner yell, "Make sure to use protection! Just as a general principle!" "Hush!" I exclaimed over my shoulder. I made my way to the dorm building and headed to the room. When I got in, Jean was just lying in bed, his head on the side where your feet normally go. He was bundled up in blankets(I noticed that he'd taken the blankes that were on my bed. It was bare except for my pillow)and he was lying on his stomach, watching something on his laptop. I immediately recognized Thor's voice and I did a flying leap jump straight onto Jean's back. Who let out a surprised yelp and a groan, "Get off of meee!" He exclaimed. I just bounced, "You're watching the Avengers!" I yelled. "Jesus Christ! Calm the fuck down!" "Never!" I exclaimed, getting off of him. "Scoot over!" "Ugghh..." He responded, scooting over. I got into the covers with him and he was flushing pink. I smirked and kissed his cheek, "I love you..." I said. He smirked softly then turned his attention back to the movie playing. I screamed when Hawkeye came on screen and Jean nearly punched me for that. I just lughed and hugged him close. I dont remember when exactly I fell aleep. But I know it was somewhere around the end of the movie. I think Tony was getting ready to go into the vortex. Either way, I woke up, what I assumed to be, quite a few hours later. Jean's laptop was asleep, along with himself. He was snoring, which I always thought was adorable. It was dark out. I smiled softly and pushed his hair out of his face gently. He was so handsome. I was completely and utterly smitten by him. We were dating now and I couldnt be happier. I was ready to take on every challenge his family threw at me. And now since things were clearing up for me in my life, I could focus on Jean and give my full attention to him, which is what he deserved. I closed his laptop, placing it on the floor, then I grabbed his pillow which was sitting against the headboard. I lifted Jean's head slightly, sliding the pillow underneath. I wasnt planning on leaving this bed, though. The nerd had all my blankets. I lied my head down on the empty side of his pillow and pulled him close to me, drifting off.

Instead of my alarm going off at five as usual, I was awoken by Jean's voice, telling me to wake up. It was tempting to see his face, but I was exhausted. So I just covered my face with blankets and curled up. I heard him chuckle and felt cool air hit my face. I had thought that he'd just removed the blanket that was over my face and my suspicions were confirmed when chapped lips pressed against mine. I couldnt help but smile when he pulled away. I rubbed my eyes, cracking one open slightly. He was smiling right back at me, "Get up." He said, patting my leg and getting up, himself. I groaned, attempting to roll over, but realizing too late that we had slept in a single bed together when I hit the floor. I heard Jean crack up and say, "You okay? Oh my fucking God!" I laughed, too, standing up and exclaiming, "Well I'm awake now!" I picked the covers up that had fallen onto the floor and put them back on the bed. Jean picked up his laptop and placed it on the bed, "Did this fall or something?" "No. I put it down there. I woke up and did that." I said. "Well that explains this." He said, poking his pillow. I nodded, smiling. He suddenly grabbed my hands, pulling me close to him, and wrapping his arms around my waist. I placed my hands on his shoulders and rested my forehead against his'. "How have you not gotton sick yet?" He asked. I shrugged, kissing him for a breif moment, "Good immune system?" Jean rolled his eyes, "You're so fucking annoying..." I laughed softly, "Hey!" "Hey is for horses." He said. "Want me to get you some?" I asked. Jean frowned and pulled away from me, going into the restroom. "Oh come on! I was just jokiiinnngg!" I exclaimed. "No!" He yelled, closing the bathroom door. I laughed, getting changed into something other than what I wore the day before. Jean came out of the bathroom soon enough and glared at me as I passed him to go in. I pouted back then went to brush my teeth and hair. When I came out, he was dressed. "Are you feeling any better?" I asked. He shrugged in response, "I feel alright." "Must be... Hayfever." I said. He raised a hand in a threatening way and I laughed, jerking away from him. "Goddamn! You are not my boyfriend anymore!" "I love you!" I exclaimed, pulling him close to me. He pushed againt me, "Leggo!" He yelled. "Where did that horse thing even come from?" I asked, "You dont look like a horse to me." He smirked, "Eren just started saying it to piss me off. Connie keeps telling me that I do look kind of like a horse, though, which I dont appreciate." I shrugged, "I dont see it. But. if you do look like a horse to a lot of people, it's okay, because I like horses." Jean laughed, "Right." We ate breakfast together then headed to class. We ended up sitting in the hall again. My sculpture was really starting to frustrate me. I kept making mistakes. Not to mention the thing had a ton of air bubbles in it which meant it would probably explode in the kiln. It was silent before I said, "I'm going to destroy it." Everyone looked at me. "Dont. It's awesome, Marco." Jean said. "Urrgg... But I hate it. Besides, it's going to explode..." "How do you know?" Connie asked. "Dont destroy it." Armin said. I sighed. Everyone went back to what they were doing after a few more silent moments. I tried to make it the way I wanted it but... It wasnt getting anywhere. So. I squshed it with my elbow. I heard everyone gasp. "Marco. C'mon, dude." Jean sighed, "What the Hell? It was great." "Nah. It was shit." I replied, breaking up the clay into smaller peices so I could knead it easier. "So you're going to start over completely?" I nodded. "Isnt that going to take a while?" He asked. "No. Now that I know what I need to do exactly, this should go quicker than before." Jean just shook his head, "I dont even know how you can just throw away peices like that..." I smirked, leaning over and kissing his cheek, "I can do that because I know I can do better." I said. Jean just rolled his eyes, "Whatever, man." "What are you guys doing for Spring Break?" Sasha asked us. I smiled at her, "I'm staying with Jean for the firt half of the week. Then we're flying to my house for the rest of the week." "Wait." Connie said, "You're stsaying with Jean at his parent's house?" I nodded in response. Connie looked at Jean with a raised eyebrow. I looked at Jean and he was staring blankly at Connie. "Isnt that kind of dangerous?" Connie asked. "I dont care." Jean responded. I smiled at his bravery. "My dad has to find out at some point. It's fine. Besides, New York is a good place to get some of those sketches done." Everyone was silent then Mikasa suddenly stood up and came over to Jean. I didnt know what was happening until she leaned down and hugged Jean. He spluttered and hugged her back. "What the Hell is happening?" He exclaimed. "I'm proud of you, Jean." Mikasa said, "That's what's happening." Oh man... If I was proud... I couldnt even imagine how proud his highschool friends must be. I sighed, smiling a bit and scootching over as everyone in the hall piled in on the hug. Everyone eventually pulled away and went back to their seats. Jean was very flustered and I just smiled at him, "You have clay-prints all over you now." Jean smirked at me, going back to molding.

On Saturday, we woke up very early and packed up Jean's car with our essentials. We then started the long drive to New York. We alternated as far as driving was concerned. Which I appreciated. Because driving was something I still wasnt completely comfortable doing. When the A Team came on the radio at one point, I nearly made Jean have a wreck because of how loud I was singing along. He didnt really appreciate that. But I thought it was funny. I fell asleep at around 4. And he didnt wake me up to make me drive. But he did wake me up to let me know that we were there. "Eek!" I exclaimed, pulling down the sun sheild and opening the mirror on the inside, wiping the sleep from my eyes. Jean just laughed, "Calm the fuck down! My God." I smirked, fixing my hair and closing the mirror and sun sheild again. "You dont have to get the luggage. It'll get taken care of." Jean said as he got out of the car, shoving the keys in his pocket and closing the door behind him. I sighed. This would be difficult for me. I got out as well, closing the door behind me. And was immediately taken aback by the giant, beautiful house in front of me. I thought it was breathtaking but, I was probably going to die from lack of breath because of it. Jean grabbed my hand and lead me to the front door as some young ladies came out past us to the car. I didnt like this. "Jean this is weird." I said. He smirked at me, "Relax." The house was even bigger on the inside. With a large front room and a spiral staircase. I saw that past the front room full of furniture, there was a dining room. And to the right of the dining room were more closed doors that I didnt know where they led. It was the same on the left. "Eehhh..." Jean just squeezed my hand and I recognized his mother sitting on one of the front room couches. She stood up immediately, "Jeanbo!" She exclaimed. Jeanbo... That was so cute... She came over and hugged us both at the same time, "And Marco! Hi, honey!" I smiled, "Hi Mrs. Kirchstein." I then noticed a man sitting in one the front room chairs. He had dirty blonde hair, golden colored eyes behind a pair of glasses, and was made of triangles, just the same as Jean. Same nose, same jaw, same eyes. He was taller, however. And looked a lot more intimidating with frown lines and narrowed eyebrows. He hadnt looked up from the book he was reading. "Léon!" Jean's mom exclaimed, "Come greet your son and his-" she cut off, looking at Jean for an answer. He gave her a look and let my hand go, then gave me an apologetic expression. I smiled, understanding. He would tell him. Just not right now. "-his friend from school!" She finished. "Léon" got up, closing his book after reading a last sentence. He made his way over and patted his son on the should. I felt so nervous. I might have had a heart attack if Jean's dad suddenly said "boo!" He turned his attention to me after greeting Jean, looking me up and down. I smiled nervously. The ladies who had grabbed our luggage, passed us and headed upstairs. Jean's dad held a hand out to me, "Who are you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. I shook his hand, trying my best to use a hard grip. "I'm Marco Bodt. I'm one of his college friends." He nodded, letting go. "Your son is a very talented man." I said. Jean's dad scoffed and headed back over to the chair, picking up his book, then heading through one of the random doors. I sighed with relief that he was gone. Jean laughed, kissing my cheek. His mom laughed, too. "Oh God I couldnt tell if he approved of me or not." I said. Jean smirked, "It doesnt matter. Hey, as bad as it sounds, he's not going to approve of you after I tell him what's really going on." That was very true. I nodded. "Oh, you two will be fine. I'll make sure of it. He'll come around sometime, trust me." Jean's mom said. "You keep saying that." Jean said to her, "But he doesnt seem like he's budging at all." "He is a stubborn man, Jean." She said. He rolled his eyes, "He's not going to budge. And I dont care." Jean's mom sighed and hugged him again. He hugged her back. Then he pulled away. "Go on to bed, guys. You must be exhausted from the drive." I smiled, "Thank you." I said. Jean and I headed upstairs and one of the ladies stopped us, smiling politely. "I'll lead you to your room Mr. Bodt." She said. I gave Jean a nervous look and he laughed a bit, "Go on. I'll see you in the morning, you nerd." I sighed, "Okay..." I then followed the girl down another hall and when I looked back, Jean had gone. "Did you have a nice trip?" The lady asked me. "Ah. Yes, ma'am." She giggled a bit, "No need for the 'ma'am', sir." I smiled a bit, "Well. No need for the 'sir', ma'am." She laughed softly and smiled back at me. We were quiet. "This is a lovely house." "Ah yeah. It's beautiful. But you should compliment Mr. Kirchstein on the house. I cant accept the compliment." She said. "Why not?" "It isnt my house." "You live here dont you?" I asked. "Well... I do. But..." "Oh come on. You keep the house in order and it's gorgeous." I said. She was quiet, "Thank you, Mr. Bodt." She said. "Marco." I corrected her. "Leia." She said. "As in Star Wars Leia?" I asked. She nodded, her brown hair bouncing in the bun it was being held in. "Well, that's great. I really love that name." I said. She flushed pink and laughed softly, "Thank you." I smiled. "Here you are." She said, stopping in front of a door and opening it. The room was huge and had a king sized bed in it. Plus a huge window and dresser. And my luggage was sitting in there. "Thank you." I said. "Well, thank you, Marco." She touched my shoulder and smiled then headed off in the other direction. I smiled softly back and closed the door behind me, sighing. I was terrified of this place. This room was as big as the living room at my house. It was ridiculous.

I went to bed soon after that. I was extremely exhausted. I woke up at around ten am to knocking on my door. I yawned, rubbing my eyes and sitting up. "Who is it?" I asked. "It's me." I heard Jean respond. I smiled softly, "Come in." The door opened and Jean smiled at me, "Hey." He said. "Hi." He closed the door behind him after coming in and walked over to the bed, "Did you sleep alright?" I nodded, "This bed is so comfy. I fell asleep immediately." "The maids keep talking about you." Jean said. I coughed softly, "What? Why?" Jean shrugged, "I dont know. It's kind of weird." I coughed more, sniffing. Jean groaned, "Dont fucking tell me you got my cold." I was quiet, "No. No. I dont think that's what this is. Probably just the change in environment." Jean was silent as well, "That's not a thing. But okay. Whatever you say. Anyways. I came to get you for breakfast. My parents want to eat with us." Oh man. I nodded, sighing shakily, "Right. Okay." I got out of bed and went over to my suitcase, rooting around in it for a shirt(I was just too exhausted to bother wearing a shirt to bed). I pulled one of my v-necks out when Jean suddenly hugged me around my waist from behind, resting his head on my shoulder. I smiled softly, leaning my head against his'. "Hey... Let go. I have to get dressed." "No thanks... You're warm..." He said. I laughed softly, feeling flushed, "I know. Now come on." He groaned, "No." We were quiet and then I sighed, opening my mouth to tell him to get off, again, when he cut me off with, "You have so many fucking freckles. Jesus Christ." I laughed softly, "I know. It's... Yeah." At that, I pulled away from him, tossing my shirt onto the bed and going back into my bag for my deodorant. "'It's... Yeah'?" He asked. I looked at him and he had an eyebrow raised. "Well... Yeah." I responded, using my deodorant then putting it on the dresser in the room. But when I tried to get past Jean to the bed so I could grab my shirt, he refused to let me pass. "Stop saying yeah." He said. I sighed, "Jean. Move." He shook his head, "Do you not like your freckles or something?" He asked. "I need to get some clothes on, Jean." "No. Answer my question." "No. I dont really like them. I try to ignore them. Being bullied for having them doesnt really help your self-image." I said. Jean just stared at me. I raised my eyebrows and tried to push past him but he just hugged me. I smirked, "Jean." "No." He responded, looking at me with a serious expression, "Your freckles are adorable." My face got hot. "Stop. Let me put on a shirt. Your parents are waiting for us." Jean sighed, letting me go, finally, and I walked past him, grabbing my shirt and pulling it on. As I went over to grab a pair of pants, Jean looked through the drawers in the dresser. I settled on khakis. I was a nerd. Then I brushed my hair. Just when I was about to put the brush down, Jean came over and messed up my hair again. "Jean!" I exclaimed, turning to him. He did a flying leap jump onto the bed. I sighed, shaking my head, then turning back around and fixing my hair again, "Why are you being such a pain today?" "Hey! What?" He said. "You heard me." I said, grabbing my toothbrush and toothpaste and leaving the room. I was about halfway down the hall when Jean caught up with me. I went into the bathroom and closed the door on him. "But Marcoooo..." I laughed, "What the heck are you going to do in here? I have to use the restroom!" "Marcoo!" He exclaimed. "Get out of here. I cant pee if you're standing right out there. Go downstairs. I'll be there soon." I heard Jean sigh then his footsteps walking away. I used the restroom and brushed my teeth then I went to put my toothbrush and toothpaste back into my bag(I didnt want to just start leaving my things all over the place). The only shoes I had were either flip flops, Uggs, or my Iron Man vans. This was going to be an issue. I probably should have brought some other shoes. I sighed, pulling on my Uggs. Then I grabbed my phone, shoving it in my pocket, and heading down the steps. As I turned into the front room, Jean was right there. I almost screamed but I settled on a surprised squeak. He grinned, hugging me close. I smirked, hugging him back, "You're an odd one, Jean Kirchstein." I said. He grinned at me then kissed me softly for a breif moment. He smelled like sunscreen? "Why...?" I sniffed his neck, "You smell like sunscreen. What the heck?" Jean laughed softly, "Oh yeah. My mom was like-" He put on his old lady voice, "-'Are you going out today?' And I was like, 'Probably. I want to show Marco around.' And then she put sunscreen in my face." I looked out the window at the cloudly sky and raised an eyebrow at Jean. He just shrugged, "I dont know. She's weird, dude." "Okay." I laughed. "Come on." He said, pulling away from me and heading into the dining area. I followed him into the room and took a seat next to Jean. Jean's father was on the end of table and his mother was sitting across from us. As we began eating, Jean's father suddenly asked, "Where are you from, Marco?" I looked up and he had his eyes locked on me. I smiled nervously and replied, "Montana." "Montana?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, "Wow. You must not be used to this." I laughed softly, "No. Not really." "What do you major in?" He asked. "I'm going to be a ceramics major." I replied. He raised an eyebrow. "Erm. Pottery. And sculpting." "Ah." He said, the confusion leaving his face. "Jean was saying that Marco used to be at Mattheius in Texas, Léon." Jean's mom mentioned. His dad just nodded slightly, "I've heard of it. Jean. How id your Graphic Design going?" "About that..." He said, and his dad looked at him. "I'm going to major in illustration." Yes! Yes! I realized after my being extremely proud of Jean, that there was a very uncomfortable silence. Then Jean's dad said, "Well. I'm not paying for it. So I dont really care." "Well you asked." Jean shot back. There was no argument but Jean stopped eating then.