School ended a day or two later, Pixis giving us our summer assignments and things. We celebrated at my mom's baby shower in early June and Jean came to visit. Thomas, Mina, and Hitch were there, too. She revealed that it was a boy. Which I was excited about now. I didnt think it was so stressful, anymore. For my birthday, I spent it with my family, Jean, and my three best friends. "Thomas. I have a question." Jean was saying as we approached the tree that Jean and I had confessed at. He was carrying his guitar. It was interesting, getting the case over the fence. "Would you sing along with a Drake song if-" "Oh my fucking God.." I said in disbelief. He was still obsessed with that. Jean laughed, "Hey!" "What's happening?" Thomas asked. "He's asking you if you'd rap a Drake song with him." I said. "I dont know any Drake songs." Thomas said. "Aw man... Okay." Jean set his guitar case on the ground. "Remember when you fucked that guy here during highschool, Marco?" Hitch suddenly said. I spluttered. Jean immediately picked up his case and made a face at the ground. I laughed, "Jean!" He went to the other side of the tree and put the case down over there. Hitch laughed, too. "That was my reaction four years ago!" Thomas yelled, "Dude! You cant be doing butt stuff with people here!" We all laughed. Jean pulled his guitar out of the case and I saw him disappear into the branches of the tree. I smiled softly. "Jean is a monkey, apparently." Mina said. "A monkey with a musical instrument!" Jean exclaimed, "I dont even have to start. You can already put money in the case, muggles." I laughed. "What are you even doing up there?" Hitch asked. "Getting my groove on. Ready?" Jean said. We couldnt even see him. We were quiet, waiting. He started strumming the guitar. It was nice. We walked around to the other side of the tree and I could see him sitting in the branches. "Dont scratch the instrument." I warned. "Okay, Mom." Jean replied. "Do you sing?" Mina asked. "No." Jean replied. I sighed, "I've already tried to get him to sing. It's hard to break him on this one." "You should sing a country song, Jean." Thomas said, climbing into the tree on the other side. The girls sat next to his guitar case and I sat at the lowest point in the brances of the tree. "The only country song I know is Forever and for Always." "That's such a girly song, bro." Thomas said. "Well, a girl did write it..." I said. "Shhh!" They all hushed me and I laughed softly. "I know Unconditionally, too." Jean said. "By Katy Perry? Dafuq?" Thomas asked. Jean nodded. "... Why?" Hitch asked. "I had to learn it for something Sasha and I did in highschool." He responded. "Oh." I said. "Marco." Thomas said. "Yeah?" "Are you going back to your X-Men phase? Why are you wearing that sweatshirt?" He asked. I was wearing a sweatshirt with a ton of X-Men on it. I laughed, "Thomas, if this is a 'phase', I dont think I'd still be obsessed with it." "You're obsessed with X-Men, too?" Jean exclaimed, "Why did I never know that?" "Because I never wore anything that showed it off. But it should have been a given. I said I like superheroes from Marvel and DC." I replied. "But you havent been talking about Huge Jackman!" Thomas exclaimed, "It's only been Hawkeye! I mean, you talked about him last year. And I dont know what you talk about when you're at Coirtney. But I havent heard anything about Huge Jackman since last year." "He doesnt talk about X-Men at all at Coirtney." Jean said. "He used to be obsessed with X-Men and Huge Jackman." Hitch said. "Didnt I already say that I still am?" I asked. "What happened to loving Hawkeye?" Jean said. "No. Hawkeye is my favorite Avenger. Huge Jackman can... Fuck me if he wants to." They all started cracking up. "Jesus Christ!" Jean exclaimed. I shrugged, smiling, "It's true! I would let him do anything to me! If he said 'I need a chair.' I would get down on my hands and knees and be his chair." "Are you fucking kidding me?" Jean yelled. "No!" I yelled back, "I'm not!" "Well I wouldnt be okay with Huge Jackman fucking my boyfriend." He said. I laughed softly, "I'm sorry, Jean. But you're just going to have to come to terms with it." Jean laughed, looking down at me from the branch he was sitting on. He was grinning, "Seriously, Marco?" "Yes! I'm saying, he's beautiful! You are, too. But this isnt about you. This is about Huge Jackman and if he wanted to do butt stuff with me, I'd allow it." Jean died laughing. "Okay. Whatever!" He exclaimed. "I'm just saying." I said. "Okay." Jean replied. "His name is Huge for a reason." I said. "Shut up!" My friends yelled at me in unison. I laughed. "I also love Mark Ruffalo." "We know." Jean said. I laughed softly, "Jean. Sing something." I said. "Hm. Nah." "Please?" I asked, "For me?" "I cant sing!" He exclaimed, "I'm bad at it." "Jean. Please? It's my birthday." I said. He was quiet then he started strumming a gorgeous melody, "Running through the six with my, with my-" I sighed, "-I was running through the six with my woes. And you know-" "Just stop." I said, genuinely dissapointed. Jean didnt play for the rest of the time we were out there.
That evening, we were up for a while after my family went to bed. We were sitting outside. "You're really attatched to that guitar, Jean." I said. He shrugged slightly, plucking the strings. I sighed slightly, staring up at the starry sky. "... Are you sad...?" He suddenly asked. "Hm?" I looked at him. He looked down at his fingers as he played, "When the stars come out, do they remind you of it? How can you do that? Teach me, because I'm fucking bad at it." Then I realized... He wasnt singing but... He was speaking in lyrics and was playing the guitar as these words rolled off of his tongue less than smoothly. "Maybe I should leave," He continued, "I hope you understand well enough. It's quiet and dark and you brighten it up. And it's quiet and dark and I fuck it up. Teach me how to do it... Because I'm fucking bad at it." He sighed, his face and ears pink. I smiled softly and listened closely. "I dont pity you. And you dont pity me. We're both idiots who dont understand what's going on. The world is painful. Nothing is easy to see. I only want you... But I suck at words, Marco. I cant love you enough. And I cant show you through my actions. Because I'm selfish and hot headed." He shifted, embarassed. I just kept listening. "I've learned to be cold and you've learned to be beautiful. How the fuck does that even work? Teach me because I fucking suck at everything. I turn things to mush and you turn things to diamonds. Perfect asshole who I cant get enough of..." He stopped plucking. We were quiet. "... Did you write that?" I asked. He nodded, "I-I told you I suck at-" I cut him off with a hug. He slowly wrapped his arms around me and I buried my face in his shoulder. "Thank you, Jean... You're the best, even if you dont think so..." I said. And I could have sworn I heard him say, "Happy Birthday, Marco..." I slept very well that night. What Jean had given me was something that I'd needed for a long time.
In early July, we prepared for the road trip. Jean had rented a van and Reiner volunteered to drive. So we piled all our crap in. And I'd managed to convince my new friends to allow my Mattheius friends to come. And everyone was actually pretty excited. Our plan was kind of crazy and I didnt know if I could deal with these guys for so long:
Reiner and Annie were in the front, Bertholdt, Ymir, and Christa were behind them. Then it was Mikasa, Eren, and Armin behind them. Jean, myself, then Thomas. Behind us were Hitch, Mina, and Sasha. And Connie, the lucky butt, got the whole trunk to himself. As soon as we started from New York to Pennyslvania and everyone got somewhat settled, Reiner turned on the radio. Then everyone but Jean was singing to Partition by Beyoncé. It would be a long trip for him, I could tell. "I dont even know what this song is but it's fucking annoying..." He mumbled. I smirked slightly, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek before pulling his grey beanie down over his face. He spluttered and put it back the way it was before. "You're the best." I reminded him. He just rolled his eyes. "I sneezed on the beat and the beat got sicker!" Everyone exclaimed. Jean sighed. Eventually, the French part of the song came up and Jean groaned audibly. "Dude! You should tell us what this means!" Thomas said. Everyone agreed and Jean sighed, "It's the worst thing I've ever heard in my life..." "What does it mean?" I asked. "I'm gonna directly translate it. Ready?" Everyone make affirming sounds. Jean took a deep breath, "'Do you like sex?-'" "Okay! I'm done!" Eren said. We all laughed. "Hey!" Reiner exclaimed, "I want to know! Go on, Jean Grey." Jean smirked, "I forgot. Sorry." Everyone groaned. "It was something about feminists liking sex or something." "The fuck?!" Connie yelled from the back. Everyone spluttered and laughed. "Yeah. It was weird as fuck." Jean said. "You should teach me French." I said. Jean half smiled at me, "Only if you teach me how to throw clay properly. I fucking suck." "Oooh!" Sasha exclaimed, "Is there going to be a Ghost movie scene with Whoopie Goldberg and Demi Moore?" Jean and I cracked up. "Oh my God!" Jean exclaimed, "Is Marco Whoopie Goldberg?" I laughed harder. "Jesus Christ!" Everyone else started laughing at that. "Marco is Whoopie!" Thomas exclaimed. I was almost crying. "I cant-!" I exclaimed. Thomas patted me on the head as I forced myself to calm down. I rested my head on his shoulder and wiped my tears away. Thomas put an arm around my shoulders, patting the one closest to Jean. I found myself drifting off after a couple of hours, unbuckling my seatbelt and resting my head on Thomas' lap. It was pretty quiet other than the radio and some idle chatter. I fell asleep to fingers in my hair. I hoped Jean didnt mind. I'd really missed Thomas. He was my closest friend. I jolted awake at a huge bump. It was dark out and everyone was asleep, for the most part. When I woke up, startled, Thomas didnt even move, but Jean did, snorting out a last snore. I sat up, rubbing my eyes and Jean lifted his head off of the window and just flopped it onto my shoulder. I smiled slightly, holding him close to me. I leaned my head against his' and started to drift off. But was awoken by Jean's sleep talking. It was quiet but I listened closely. "Bu' I cant take care of it... It was only one before..." I narrowed my eyebrows. What was "it"? He shifted uncomfortably and I just held him closer. "You said you' take care of the puppy..." Oh thank God. I sighed with relief. I didnt know, before, what he'd been talking about, but if it wasnt a puppy, there would be some issues. I fell asleep with him close to me. The next few days consisted of stopping at random locations. Jean made fun of everything we did. Which started to annoy Thomas and Mina slightly. Hitch and I let them know, though, that he was really interested. And that he was just stubborn. On one of our last stops in Pennyslvania, he was the last to get in the van and we almost left him behind because he wouldnt hurry up. But I got out to go and get him, and they didnt want to leave me. So we continued on to West Virginia.
"Can someone else drive?" Reiner asked, clearly exhausted, when we were coming out from eating lunch. Everyone was quiet. "I'll drive." Jean spoke up. I smiled, "Shotgun." I called. Jean smiled lovingly at me. "Wait." Thomas said, "But I want to hang out with you in the van, man!" I smiled, "We have hung out, Tommy!" "Yeah but we havent hung out in a while." He said. I laughed slightly, "Maybe Bert would let you switch with him. "Sure." Bertholdt replied. We made our way to the car and Bert sat where we had been sitting before, along with Reiner and Annie. Then Thomas sat behind the passenger's seat, next to Ymir and Christa as Jean started up the van and I sat in the passenger's seat, pulling my seatbelt on. We started rolling and I reached over, turning on the radio. It was around midnight when I was awoken by a random swerve of the van. "Wha-?" I exclaimed. I heard people waking up behind me, as well. Jean looked like he was about to pass out. "Pull over..." I said. He swerved again and I said in a more demanding tone, "Jean pull over now." His head snapped up and he rubbed one of his eyes, gripping the wheel tightly, "I'm alright." He said. "Jean. Bro." Thomas said, "Pull over. You're endangering all of us." Jean sighed and bit his lower lip before pulling over. "Who's taking over?" Jean called tiredly behind us. Everyone was quiet then I sighed, "Me." I'd gotton my license recently so I could help out with the driving if need be. "Y'sure...?" Jean mumbled to me, worried. I smiled, nodding, before getting out of the van. Jean and I switched places and I drove for the rest of the night. I was alright to drive the next day, too. But nobody trusted me. "Slow down!" Connie yelled from the back. "Shhh!" I responded. "More like speed up!" Thomas exclaimed. I smirked and slammed on the gas. Everyone started freaking out. "Holy-!" Jean exclaimed. I slowed down, grinning. "Uhm. Marco?" Connie said. Then I heard the sirens. "Crap..." I said, looking in the rearview mirror at the flashing lights and seeing Connie duck down so I wouldntget flagged for that, too. I pulled over. "Shit, Marco..." Jean said. I looked into my side mirror at the lady cop walking to my window. I took a deep breath and waited until she got up there, to roll my window down. "Hello, sir." She said, "Do you know why I've stopped you?" I smiled guiltily, "I was going too fast, ma'am. I'm sorry." She blinked at me, "Yessir. License and registration, please." She said. "Okay. I'm going to reach into my pocket. That's where my license is." I replied. She nodded and I pulled my wallet out of my pocket, smiling, and pulling out my stuff. I handed it to her and she sighed, heading away. "Why did you have to speed up, Marco?" Jean asked, looking genuinely worried. "Dont worry." I reassured. We were quiet until the lady came back, handing me my stuff, "I'm going to let you off with a warning, sir. Just this once." "Ah! Are you sure?" I asked. She nodded, "Just. This. Once." "Well thank you. That brightens my day." "Have a good one." She said before walking away. "You, too!" I replied, rolling up my window abd waiting for her to get back on the oad before I did, myself. The van was quiet until everyone started cheering. Jean just looked dumbfounded. Then my boyfriend suddenly started punching my arm, over and over. "O-Ow! Stop! I'm driving!" I exclaimed. "What the fuck was that?!" He yelled at me, "Fuck you! Fuck you fuck you!" "Quit it!" I laughed, grabbing the hand closest to me and holding it close. He growled and punched me one last time in my stomach with his free hand. "Ow!" I exclaimed, "Jeez..." He was scowling. I squeezed his hand and he leaned his head against the window, sighing. "Marco was too hot for that cop lady!" Reiner boomed. "It's not fucking fair!" Jean exclaimed. I smirked softly. "I got a taser pulled on me last time I got pulled over!" He continued. "What did you do?" I asked, knitting my eyebrows together. "Nothing. I just went for my license in my pocket and the guy pulled a taser out." "That's why you tell them what you're doing." I said. "It wasn't my fault..." Jean said, "I'm just a massive weirdo." "I don't think that you're a weirdo, honey." I reassured. Everyone had gone back to their regular conversations. "You're the only one..." Jean said. "No I'm not..." I said. "Oh yeah?" He asked. I nodded, "Yes!" "Guys!" Jean called behind him, "Do you think I'm a weirdo?" "No!" Mostly everyone exclaimed. "See?" I whispered to him. Jean sighed, turning back around. I squeezed my boyfriend's hand. "I did when I first met you, though." Eren said. Everyone agreed with that. Jean groaned, "I knew it." "Well I didnt... I love you." I said. Jean sighed, "Love you, too."
We ended up camping in a spot in West Virginia. Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, Christa, and Ymir managed to call the van so the rest of us slept outside. We had seven tents, not that we needed them all. "Okay." I said, "Who is staying in a tent with who?" Thomas started to say something but Jean cut him off with, "I'm with Marco and no one else!" I laughed softly and smiled, "Okay, Jean." I agreed. Thomas wanted to sleep alone, Hitch and Mina were together, Connie went with Sasha, and Eren's squad was together. Jean and I picked a spot then we started setting up our tent. "Do you think Thomas is mad at me?" I asked as Jean turned the instructions upside down. He shrugged, "Dunno. These instructions are fucking annoying." I smirked, taking them from him. "Let me see." Jean yawned and I could tell he was very exhausted. We built the tent as quickly as we could then changed clothes inside the tent. "These jeans are starting to stink." Jean said as we were sitting inside. "TMI." I replied. "I'm just saying. Maybe you could be a good househusband and clean them." He added. I laughed, "Oh! Wow! Okay! Maybe I'll just go stay with Tommy!" "No! Dont leave me!" He exclaimed, rolling over to me and wrapping his arms around my waist, lying on his stomach. I grinned and smacked his butt. "Hey!" He jerked away from me. I laughed more. He laughed softly, "You're an ass!" "I touched the butt." I responded. "Did you just reference Finding Nemo, you fuck?" He exclaimed. "Yes!" I responded, "Nice boxers, by the way." His boxers had Ghost Busters symbols all over it. He smirked, "Thanks." "Ghost Busters are pretty sexy." I said. He snorted, "Thanks." He said again. "Do you even know how much I love you?" I asked, leaning close to him. He half smiled, "Dunno..." He replied. I kissed him softly for a breif moment, "Well, trust me when I say it's a fuck ton." He chuckled in response, "Love you, too, Freckles..." "Have you called me that before?" I asked. He shrugged, "Dont remember." I pulled him close to me and he smirked. "I want you to know that I love you... And that you're the best. And that I've never thought you were weird..." I said. His smirk faded, "Thanks, Marco..." He said. "I know how self conscious you are..." I continued, "And I want you to know that I'll always be here for you. To talk about anything at all, okay...?" Jean looked away from me and mumbled something unintelligible. "Hm...?" I asked. "Dont pity me." He said louder. "I'm not! I just dont want you to feel alone. That's all. I dont want you to think you're worthless, understand, honey?" Jean sighed, his expression softening. He nodded, understanding, "I'll always come to you..." He said. I smiled softly. He smiled back. I kissed all over his face and neck. He pushed against me, "Quit it!" He exclaimed. "Shh!" I breathed into his neck, "People are trying to sleep." "I dont care." Jean said. I pulled away and smirked at him, reaching for my book. The sleeping arrangement was odd. Some people had sleeping bags but Jean and I had a roll out mat with a fitted sheet over it, a comforter, and pillows. Because I always go above and beyond. And Jean seemed grateful as he cozied up under the blanket. I smiled softly and got under the covers, as well, reaching over and turning off the flashlight illuminating the tent ceiling. I opened my book, turning on the book light attatched to it. "Nerd..." Jean mumbled to me. I smiled softly, "Goodnight, Jean... I love you..." I said. "Love you, too..." He replied. I stayed up, reading, for a while, past the time when Jean's snores and sleep talking filled the space. I only realized that he was cold when I felt him shivering but it must have been quite a few minutes after he fell asleep. I turned off the book light and closed the pages, setting it down on the tent floor then hugging Jean close to my chest. He turned over to face me as I pulled him over. I kissed his forhead and smiled softly, cuddling him closer. Then I drifted off.
We woke up to Eren's loud voice, "Wake up, assholes!" He was yelling. I snapped awake, which snapped Jean awake. "Hey!" I heard Connie yell. "Oh sorry." Eren said, "Wake up, assholes. And Marco!" He corrected. I smirked, rolling my eyes and sitting up. Jean held onto me, however, groaning. I smiled and leaned down, kissing him softly, "Wake up, beautiful." He smirked softly and cracked an eye open before sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He turned and looked over his shoulder, then he looked around the tent with wide eyes. "What?" I asked. "Where the fuck is my guitar?" Jean said. Oh... I looked around, too. Suddenly, we heard very loud, terrible strumming outside and Eren screaming. Jean nearly fell getting out of he tent, "What the fuck?!" He yelled, "Give me that!" I got out of the tent, too. "Nice boxers!" Eren yelled as he dodged Jean's attacks. Jean finally grabbed the neck of his guitar and ripped it out of Eren's hands, "Where's the case?" Jean asked, breathless. "You have to find it, bro." Eren said. "What the fuck?! This aint Easter! Give me it!" Jean yelled. Eren put his hands up, "Jesus! Okay!" He said, going into his own tent and pulling the case out. Jean yanked it away from him, growling. "Play something for us, Jean!" Reiner boomed as he got out of the van. "No!" Jean exclaimed, "And you can thank Eren for putting me in a shit mood!" Everyone started groaning and blaming Eren. "Marco." Reiner said. I looked at him and he waved me over. I obliged, making my way to him. "Are you gonna drive today?" He asked. "Yes." I said. "When do you want to leave?" He asked. "In a couple of hours, I'd say." Reiner nodded then boomed, "Everyone get dressed! We're leaving in two and a half hours!" "Why a half?" Sasha asked. "Because Marco said that!" Reiner responded. "I did not!" I exclaimed, rolling my eyes and smiling. So we got dressed and Jean wouldnt stop complaining about not being able to wear his good jeans because they smelled bad so I took them from him and went to find a creek. Armin came along with me to clean some clothes of his own. "So how are you and Jean doing?" He asked as we were walking. I smiled, "Great..." "You guys are so cute." He said, smiling at me. I smiled more back, "Thank you." "How did that job thing go?" He asked. "Oh yeah. I got the job but I'm starting in September. It's a nice restaurant." "We'll have to come sometime and see you in action." Armin said. I laughed softly and nodded. "How are you doing?" I asked, "Your grandparents doing alright?" "My grandfather died a month or so ago..." Armin replied, looking down. "O-Oh... I'm sorry, Armin." I said, touching his shoulder. He smiled at me, his eyebrows knitted together, "It's alright... I mean, my grandma is doing okay." I nodded, "That's good to hear... What are your plans after college?" "I'm hoping to go into painting." Armin replied, "I think I'd like to teach it." "Really? I think that's what I'd like do, too. Ceramics is a really nice field and making a living off of that would be great, but I'd also like to teach art, too." Armin nodded vigorously, "That's how I feel, too." "Jean's going into illustration. He'll make a living off of that." I said. "Oh wow! You convinced him? We've been trying to convince him for years." Armin revealed, "He didnt want to do it because he thought his dad would be even more dissapointed in him than he already was." "R-Really...?" I asked, "Wow... I didnt... Know about that." Armin nodded, "Yeah... But I guess since the issues are worked out, he doesnt feel chained anymore." I nodded in agreement. Armin and I reached a clean looking creek. "I would have waited until we drove past someplace to clean these but Jean wouldnt stop complaining." I said. Armin laughed, "I get it! Trust me! We all do." He shook his head, smiling, "Jean is always like that." I sighed, "I know... I love him, though..." Armin nodded, "He's a good guy." I smiled softly and nodded, sitting and starting to clean my boyfriend's jeans as Armin cleaned his own. I sighed softly.
After a while, I suddenly felt something sharp press against my back. I stilled. "Dont move." I heard an unfamiliar voice say. Crap crap crap. I looked at Armin and he was still, too. Oh God. I didnt know how many there were. "Get up." I stood immediately. "You, too, blondie." Armin stood with a squeak. We locked eyes and I turned my head slightly, to study the situation. There were four of them. One had to be a girl based on he body shape. She had a pistol. The two behind Armin and I had knives. And the other didnt seem to have anything but he was big. They had masks on. I couldnt see their faces. I had to come up with something. I locked eyes with Armin again. "Give us all the money you have." "I'm sorry. We dont have anything on us." I said. "Oh really?" He asked. I nodded, gulping. "Take us back to your camping spot." I sighed shakily, "There's nothing there, either..." "Bullshit. Take us there!" A feminine voice exclaimed. Great. "You lead, freckles." "Dont call me that." I said as I was pushed back towards the direction of the camp, Armin and I leaving the clothes behind. "Excuse us?" The girl yelled right in my face. I grimaced and started leading them towards the camp. I wanted to do something but risking mine and Armin's lives at the same time held me back. I knew if we outnumbered them, we'd be okay. But I couldnt do anything extreme unless I wanted one of us to get really hurt. If only I could warn the group somehow. Armin came up next to me, pushed by one of them. We locked eyes again and I tried to silently convey to him that I thought we should steer them away from the camp. He winked at me, affirming my plan. And the two of us turned away from the clearing, off in another random direction. Armin knew the situation and I supposed he didnt mind if he got hurt. After a while, my phone started buzzing in my pocket and the girl took it out. Crap. It was probably Jean asking where I was. "Aww! Is bae texting?" She asked, "Ooh! A guy, huh? Maybe I should let him know where you are?" "N-No!" I exclaimed, "Leave him out of it. You already have me." "Okay. I'll let him know that you dont need him anymore." She said. "Dont say anything to him, please. He hasnt done anything..." I pleaded with her. "Oh well." She replied, tapping away at my phone. I gulped. She was going to dump him from me... I didnt want that at all. I took a shaky breath. He'd be heartbroken. It was a long time until they started suspecting that something was up. "Where the fuck is your camp?!" The guy behind me exclaimed, pressing his knife into my back. I tensed up then turned, knocking the knife out of his hand then tackling the girl with the gun. I didnt know what Armin was doing so I just grabbed the gun as quickly as I could, knocking the girl out with the hilt of it. When I turned, the other three had Armin pinned. "Dont move!" I sighed and Armin looked so terrfied, eyes wide. I tackled the blonde to the floor, the gun going off. I heard a loud yelp come from the biggest guy. Got him in the leg or something. Then I felt a sharp stabbing in my shoulder. I cried out and turned over, rolling off of Armin and shooting the gun off again. I got up and grabbed the guy who'd stabbed me, holding the gun to his head and coughing slightly. The stab wound was halfway between my shoulder and my neck. I could be in some trouble if I didnt get it treated soon. The other guy held his hands up, dropping his knife. I noticed the girl waking up and the guy who I'd shot in the leg, standing. "Armin..." I said, "C-Call the police..." "No wait!" The guy I was holding exclaimed, "Please dont! We're just trying to-" I suddenly felt sharp pain in my side and I jerked back, stumbling and dropping the gun. He didnt stab me with the knife, but instead, sliced me in the side. And before I knew it, all four of them were gone. "OhGodohGodohGod!" Armin exclaimed as I struggled for breath. "Calm down..." I said. Armin took a deep breath as I sat down. He took off his jacket and shirt, ripping apart the shirt and tying it around the wound in my side. He put back on his jacket and zipped it up then pressed another wad of shirt on my shoulder. I held that in place as he helped me up. "My phone... She had it..." I said. "It's there." Armin said, picking up my phone off of the floor, "Must've fell out of her pocket." Thank God. I had over fifty messages... Most from Jean. "Jesus..." I said. "I must have a lot, too." Armin said as we started walking back in the direction of the camp. I sighed shakily, wincing in pain as I read the message that the girl had sent Jean. It said, "Sorry, dear, but I'm dumping you. Should have thought more about your actions." I held my breath. That broke him. He sent a million messages. Asking why. What did he do? He can change. He can do something. He'll make it up to me. I had missed calls, too. I listened to one voicemail of Jean sounding broken and saying the same things. Why? He can change. Etc. It broke my heart. "Shit..." I said, feeling sharp pain and gasping for breath. "Oh my God..." Armin said, "We need to call 9-1-1." "No!" I exclaimed, gulping, "N-No... It's okay... I'll be okay..." "Let me look at it." He said. I nodded, lying down on the ground. Armin examined the wound and he eventually sighed in relief. "Okay. It's just a slice. You're okay... It's not horribly deep... You'll need stitches, though... And I bet it hurts." He then examined the one on my shoulder area. "This one is deeper... But it hasnt ruptured anything. No arteries or anything. You'll be okay if we get you back to the camp and have Mikasa look. She's the one who knows what to do." I nodded slightly as he helped me up again. I called Jean. He answered with a, "M-Marco! Please dont dump me... You dont understand how important you are to me!" I gulped. He was crying. "Jean..." I breathed, "I'm not dumping you... I got... Armin and I got pinned by some people... They wanted us to lead them to the camp and take everything we had... One of them noticed you texting me and texted you back, saying I was dumping you..." Jean was quiet except for his sniffling, "How can I believe that...?" He asked. "Why would I lie to you, honey...? I dont even call you 'dear'. I dont think I've ever used that pet name for you... Armin and I are on our way back..." "You need to prepare medical supplies, Jean!" Armin exclaimed into the phone. "H-Hah?" Jean asked. I could tell he had calmed down. He wasnt crying. Now he was confused and concerned. "I got hurt..." I said, "Just prepare... We'll be back soon..." "Marco. Are you okay?" He asked. He trusted me. "I-I'm not doing too well..." I said. "I'll get everthing ready." He replied, "Just relax." "I love you..." I said. He took a shaky breath, "I love you, too... I'll be waiting for you..." "K-Kay..." I replied, hanging up. Now I saw how neglected he'd been before. Any type of betrayal broke this sweet man. He didnt deseve the heartache. I hated that woman for hurting him... But... I hoped those people got back on their feet at some point. They'd gotton away. And we didnt turn them in... They had a chance to turn it all around. Something told me they'd be back to the spot again, later on. Armin and I made it back to camp by midday. It took a while to get there and by then, I was exhausted and I'd lost some blood. Not nearly enough to kill me. But some. We broke into the clearing and I was struggling for breath, leaning against Armin. "Shit..." I heard Connie breathe. "Oh my fuck!" Jean exclaimed, coming over to us, "Shit!" "Bring him here." Mikasa said. Armin did so and as soon as he let me go, I collapsed. I couldnt help it. I was so tired... Mikasa pulled me into a better position and I dont even know what she did.
All I know is that I came back into full consciousness at least a few hours later, in Jean and my own tent. I sat up, groaning slightly. I heard talking outside and I realized that I didnt have a shirt on. Great. I looked around. No shirt available. I sighed, getting up and going out of the tent, wincing. "Marco." Sasha said. I realized that it was dark out. "What're we still doing here...?" I asked. "We wanted to give you time to-" "No." I said, rubbing my eyes, "We have to go... What if they come back or something...?" They all stared at me. "Well. We wanted you to decide what we were going to do." Eren said. I shook my head, processing, "Are you serious? Take control. Come on." "I told you!" Jean exclaimed, standing. I looked at him. "I got everything packed up with only Connie, Sasha and Armin's help because nobody wanted to do anything without your word, Marco! I wanted to leave so the rest of us wouldnt get stabbed!" Jean stomped over to the van and I realized that, literally, everything was packed up. Jean had taken initiative. But since he couldnt make everyone get in the van, he couldnt do anything. I bet he'd yelled at them. I bed he tried to force them... But... They didnt listen. "Listen to Jean next time, please..." I said, pulling the makeshift bed out and starting to take apart the tent, "Whether I'm there or not or agree with what he's saying. He knows how to handle these situations..." Connie helped me pack it up and get it into the van. I noticed that people were apologizing to Jean for not trusting him. He'd forgive them then shrug. "Can I please have a shirt?" I asked. "No." Jean said. I smirked and he smirked back, "You shouldnt, though. In all seriousness. It'll be uncomfortable." He continued. I sighed softly and nodded. He was right. We all piled into the van and I checked my pockets. I did have my phone. "Marco, do you want us to drive you home?" Reiner asked as he got into the passenger's seat. "Wha-? To Montana?" I exclaimed. "Yeah." Reiner responded. "We're already going through there, right? Just stick with the regular route and if I want to leave when we get there, I'll let you know." I said. "Okay, dude." He replied. I sighed and leaned my head on Jean's shoulder. He was scowling, "Armin explained to us what happened..." He said, "I'm pissed." "It's okay, Jean..." I said. "No it fucking isnt! Are you crazy?!" He exclaimed, "Can't you just be angry for once?!" I sighed, lifting my head off of his shoulder, "Jean... Love and tolerance. That's what I go off of." Jean growled, "Fucking hippie..." "I dont hold grudges." I continued, "That's not how I am." "I know!" He said, "And it pisses me off! Just be angry for once..." "Man, no good comes in anger." Thomas defended. "Goddammit..." He growled, leaning his head against the window, "I want to kill those fucks..." "Hey..." I said, touching his arm. He jerked his arm away from me, "Please calm down... I dont want you to be angry... You can be angry for Armin. And I only say that because I cant speak for him. But not me... Because I'm not upset... I mean, I'm upset that-" "dont worry, guys!" Armin exclaimed, "It just startled me, slightly! I'm okay. Dont be angry for me. I agree with Marco. Those people just need help, that's why they resort to stealing and violence. That's all." I nodded, "See, Jean?" "You shot one of them." Jean said, "If that's 'love and tolerance', I clearly know nothing." I sighed, "I only resort to violence for others. Not for myself. I mean, if I'm being hurt by someone physically, I'll make them stop with force, but not enough to hurt them..." "Bah shut up." Jean said, waving his hand at me. I gripped his hand in my own and leaned over to him, giving him a stern look, "You should be worried about your jeans, Jean." He grimaced at me, "I dont give a shit about the fucking jeans. They're gone." I smiled softly. Good job, Jean... I nuzzled my nose against his' and he jerked away, "Stop it!" He exclaimed, looking back out the window. I smiled wider and sighed softly. "Marco." Mikasa said. I looked at her and she was turned around in her seat to look at me, "Neither of your wounds should scar. I cleaned them really vigorously and patched them up well." I nodded, yawning. "Thank you, Mikasa." It was quiet. "Well that was a fucking crazy day!" Reiner boomed. Everyone laughed slightly in exhausted agreement.