Welcome to Chapter 2 Part B of Drunk on You.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, nor do I own any of the characters featured in this work of fiction. Neither my role-play partner nor I are gaining any sort of profit from this.

Warning: May contain inappropriate language, sexual themes, alcohol usage, mentions of violence, potentially triggering subjects, and very very bad puns. Rating may be subject to change in the future.

Chapter 2 Part B has been beta-read. If any further errors or mistakes are noticed, please point them out in a review.


Saturday, the 26th of October.

Krista pulled her shrug tighter around her shoulders, picking her purse up and dropping her phone inside. They weren't looking at each other, why weren't they looking at each other? Something definitely happened. Either that or they said things, talked about things that made them uncomfortable enough to avoid talking or looking at each other. She made her way to the door, stepping out into the hall and waiting for the others. She'd payed attention to how they interacted. Maybe if she could get Yumir alone, she could get some help with it. Not in the car though, maybe in the ladies room in the restaurant.

Jean stepped into the car after both Yumir and Krista had gotten situated. He wasn't the best actor, he was barely even good, but Jean did his best to act as though absolutely nothing were wrong. He thought it was pretty convincing. He just couldn't bring himself to look at Marco. Not that there was anything wrong with how Marco looked? He looked rather nice tonight in fact. Jean thought that evening wear looked pretty good on Marco, but that's beside the point. He let out a small sigh and rubbed at the unnoticeable bruises on the bridge of his nose. Should he say something or remain silent?
Yumir was either oblivious to tension between Jean and Marco, or she couldn't bring herself to care and was ignoring it completely. She was much too busy with other things at hand, such as the gentle furrowing between Krista's brows that shouldn't have been as cute as it was, and the fact that she had left her eyeshadow at home. She shuffled around in her seat a bit and gently applied liquid eyeliner with slow, steady motions when they were stalled at the stop lights.

Krista got comfortable in her seat, one leg crossed over the other, her index finger absently tapping her lips as she stared out the window. Her lipgloss rubbed off of her finger and she'd need to reapply it before too long, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Her train of thought had slowly turned from Marco and Jean to similarities and differences between Marco and Yumir. There were more differences than similarities, but still she thought both of them were pretty fascinating. And the best part of that was that she'd only just met Yumir. She shook her head slightly, returning her thoughts to Jean and Marco. They weren't talking. Didn't they have so much to talk about?
Marco adjusted his seatbelt as he waited for the light to turn green, sneaking glances in the rear mirror at Krista, the corner of his eye at Jean. It was pretty frustrating, nothing even happened between them. Jean tripped, that was it. To be ignoring him like he was was kind of ridiculous. But okay, if that was how Jean wanted things, then that's how things would be. It would all blow over in no time.

"Jävla helvete..." Yumir cursed under her breath as a bump in the road caused her mascara brush to leave a black streak across her cheek. She wiped at the line with her hand but it only caused it to smear. "Aaawww, now I look like I'm supposed to be in football or something..." she mused. It was a bit dumb looking, but she could leave it there until she had a chance to get to the restroom. She finished putting on the last touches to her makeup and let out a deep breath. It was way too silent in the car.
"Wait, I think I've got some tissues you can use or something..." Jean said, digging around in his pockets only to be cut off. "No, it's fine, I'll just take care of it in the bathroom or something. Besides, I wanna see how many weird looks I can get walking in like this." Yumir's voice replied from behind him, a small chuckle following afterwards. Jean laughed weakly along with his girlfriend. "If you insist..." He finished locating the packet of pocket tissues and just to remember where they were and pulled his hands from his pockets. He wanted to say something, but numerous times in the past he'd been told it's best to hold his tongue, so he attempted his best at doing just that.

Krista raised her eyebrows and turned towards Jean. "Could I use a tissue, actually? If you don't mind." She smiled and looked over at Yumir. "I need to reapply my lipgloss, so I'll go with you if that's alright."
Marco pulled in front of the restaurant, getting out and opening Krista's door for her. He shut it after she stepped out, then handed his keys to the valet. He waited for the others, hands in his pockets. He'd never been to The Georgian before, but he'd driven past it plenty of times, making promises to himself to take Krista someday. Well... That day had come, he supposed.

Jean took the tissues from the back of his pocket and handed the packet to Krista without saying anything. He stretched a bit and walked inside. His face expressionless despite being in such a grand place. He stepped up to the podium where the Head Hostess was scribbling away on a sheet of paper. Her eyes snapped up when she heard Jean clear his throat and she threw a big, fake smile on her face. "Kirschtein for 4." Jean said before the hostess could open her mouth. Her eyebrow twitched ever so slightly "Right this way." She motioned for them to follow her.
Yumir didn't get the stink eye as many times as she thought she would. Of course, that seemed to be because most people were avoiding looking at her. She chuckled to herself and set her stuff down at the seat closest to the window while the hostess returned to her station at the front. Yumir slid her arm around Krista's and linked there elbows together, heading off in the direction of the bathroom.

Marco led Krista inside with his hand on the small of her back, until they reached their table. He kissed her on the cheek and sat down, looking around the restaurant at the decor and people. It was pretty fancy. He could only imagine what it was going to cost.
Krista used one tissue to wipe the lipgloss off of her finger, then handed the rest back to Jean. She threw the used tissue in the first garbage can she saw, and set her purse on her seat after they'd reached their table. She followed Yumir to the restroom and stood in front of a mirror to reapply her lipgloss. "Something's going on. Between them I mean. Haven't you noticed?"

Jean removed his suit jacket and pocketed the tissues. He stared down at the fine, polished wood of the table. Perhaps he should make small talk? Yes small talk is good. "So, have you ever been here before?" He still couldn't fully look at Marco's face without feeling a mixture of dread and embarrassment and self-hate, so he pulled up the thin paper menu and feigned as though he were internally debating about what to order.
Yumir wet a paper towel and pressed it so the smudge. Water-proof makeup was nearly impossible to get off with just water, so she started with scrubbing at her cheek. "You know, now that you mention it, the drive down here felt kind of tense, didn't it?"

Marco glanced over at Jean and picked his menu up as well, immediately looking over their wine section. He had a feeling he'd need a distraction, especially with the girls gone. "No, I haven't. Is it any good?" The atmosphere was nice and the tables were spaced a good distance away from each other, but that didn't mean the food was good.
Krista frowned and took the paper towel away from Yumir, brushing her hands away as well. "Your cheek will be raw by the time you get the mascara off if you keep doing that. It doesn't matter if we're in here a few extra minutes. But it did. It was almost painfully awkward. What do you think happened?" She dabbed at Yumir's mascara with the damp paper towel then grabbed a new one and wiped it away, careful not to do it too hard. She'd worn mascara once to her step-sister's wedding, but only because she'd been a bridesmaid and she'd been begged to. It had been difficult to get off and her lashes had stuck together, so she vowed never to wear it again.

"More than good in the opinion of some, but it depends on your tastes. If you aren't a seafood lover, I recommend not getting the seafood. The chef here thinks that the ocean taste is unique, so most of the fish aren't extremely fresh. All other ingredients are fresh though." Jean's eyes scrolled through the menu, not seeing that anything new had been added since he'd last been here. "Ah, but the wine is exceptional." Jean added, remembering that Marco had a fondness of good wines.
Yumir looked at her cheek in the mirror and frowned at the redness beginning to form around the area where she scrubbed too hard. She thanked Krista and turned towards the blonde. "Well, I don't really have any idea what could have happened. Maybe Jean said something to piss Marco off while they were in his bedroom?" She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "Maybe it was the innuendo-implied comment I made about what they were doing in there that set them off?" she thought out loud.

Marco nodded, setting his menu down and looking over his shoulder towards the ladies room. In the clear. He turned back around, looking Jean in the eye. "I wasn't going to say anything, but it's driving me crazy. It wasn't a big deal. We both know it wasn't. So how about we build this bridge together and get over it? Yeah?" He smiled, no teeth and all worry.
"Marco doesn't get angry easily. He's always trying to make the best out of a bad situation. Who knows. If it gets to be a bit much, we'll ask. But for now I think we should just watch how they interact. Keep an eye out to see if they make eye contact when they talk to each other or break it off right away. ...At least, I think that's what we're supposed to be looking for. I signed up for AP Psych in my senior year in high school. I got a C-, even with Marco's help. I'm just not as intuitive I guess. Oh! Jean's nose, by the way. What happened? It looks a little bruised." Krista smoothed out her skirt and adjusted her tights around her waist and thighs, then fixed her hair a little. She felt a little out of place. It was such a nice, fancy restaurant and she looked like she'd just come from ballet class! She would've worn something else if she'd had a little notice, but it had been her idea to double date after all.

Jean's face flushed when he accidentally made eye contact with Marco. He averted his eyes and held the menu in front of his face. "It was a huge deal... I tripped over my pants and was caught like some damn girl. It's so fucking embarrassing and frustrating." His face felt unbearably hot. He let his head his the table with a 'thud', the menu still in front of him. "My pride was injured. And I looked totally uncool in front of my new roommate and it's fucking awful."
Yumir whistled "Woah, How'd you tell his nose was bruised? Maybe you've got intuition for people that are hurt!" She laughed to herself. "From what Jean told me, his landlord got pissed at him and clobbered him straight on the nose! This isn't the first time it's happened either." Yumir looked in the mirror one last time, fixed a rogue strand of hair, and gestured that she was ready to leave when Krista was.

"It's not that big of a deal, people fall. And I guess the whole catching you like a girl thing was kinda my fault? Instinct, y'know? Don't get so hung up on it, it's over and done with." Marco frowned, his expression changing from nonchalant to actually a little hurt. He reached over and took Jean's menu, folding it up and placing it on his own. "You're looking way more uncool right now than you did with your pants down, just so you know."
Krista covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide. "That has to be breaking a law! I'm going to check it out before I go home for the night. It's a little discolored on the bridge of his nose, and that worries me. When did it happen?" She looked towards the door, but stayed where she was. She didn't think Jean would appreciate them gossiping about him whilst in his presence. They could stand to wait a little longer.

Jeans mouth was wide open, his head jerked up, eyes glaring at Marco. His face immediately turned bright red with humiliation, anger and embarrassment. He covered his face with his hands in shame and mumbled "Shut up, I'm always cool. You're the one that's uncool..." he muttered the last little part to that lie under his breath.
"Yeah, it's undoubtedly breaking like 6 different laws, but no one's called the police on him because it's rumored he has some serious connections with a couple of local gangs." Yumir paused for a moment and thoughts about that. "It happened exactly a week ago I think. Yep, exactly a week ago."

Marco smiled as if Jean had told some kind of joke. And hey, to Marco, it was! "You're being so uncool right now. Now are you ready to get your menu back and act like a big boy?"
Krista stepped slowly towards the door, eyes locked on her feet. "I don't think having connections should matter if he's assaulting someone. You would think that the bystanders would be the cowards in this situation, but him hiding behind his connections makes the Cowardly Lion at his worst look like... Rocky!"

"Ugh. Are you trying to make this worse on purpose? I feel like a fucking eight year-old thanks to you." Jean whined, the blood still heating his face, forming a pink tinge on his neck and ears and cheeks. "Fuck it, just keep the damn menu. You suck." Jean didn't care if he was being uncool anymore. Stupid Marco making him feel like a baby...
Yumir's eyes were downcast, a frown plaguing her lips. "It's great that you think that. Not many people do. Politicians do it all the time, large company owners, basically anyone with any sort of power has connections which they abuse when their butts are close to being roasted..." She pushed her negative thoughts aside and extended her arm towards Krista with a smile. "It's alright though, because Jean moved out and Marco seems very safe! Shall we get going? We can't have the boys getting suspicious of us, now can we?" Just for the heck of it, she gave Krista a small wink.

"Oh my gosh, you're actually riled up about this." Marco snickered and set Jean's menu back in front of him, then opened his own and continued to inspect it. "So what are you getting? I was thinking of getting a glass of wine, but they have Pepsi... Pepsi or wine? Life's most difficult of choices, I'm telling you."
Krista's eyebrows furrowed as she listened to Yumir speak, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't getting a little nervous. Luckily, Yumir snapped out of it quickly and went back to her usual self. Krista looped her arm around Yumir's as they'd done on their way in, trying (and failing) to contain a giggle. "Aren't we supposed to be suspicious of them though? Remember, eye contact and body... Something. I can't remember what it's called."

Jean's face remained hidden in his hands. Was Marco seriously teasing him? He felt a little self-conscious that he'd been so foolish to think Marco was being serious. "If you're getting wine, then expect someone else to drive your car tonight..." he said from behind his hands. Jean didn't bother picking up his menu. He already knew what he was getting. He'd been here so many times, and he always got the same thing, so he knew his order by heart.
"Suspicion is a two-way street darling! Plus, when people get suspicious, they start lying and trying to get certain reactions from the other person. Humans are weird." She laughed to herself, knowing entirely that she was included in that. "Ahahaha, you mean body language? I'll try to keep those two things in mind but I'm not very observant." She stated as she walked back to their table, arm-in-arm with her new muse, Krista.

"I'm not a total lightweight, a glass of wine won't kill me. Or the passengers in my car. But I guess if you're so concerned, why don't you drive us home?" Marco set his and Jean's menu on the edge of the table, then began to lightly drum his fingers on the polished wood.
"I just get a little tongue-tied sometimes, is all." Krista sat down next to Marco once they reached their table, immediately taking her napkin and placing it on her lap. She set her menu aside with the others, glancing quickly between Jean and Marco. "Jean, are you feeling alright?"

"I've literally known you for a week and you're trusting me with your car? Besides, I was planning on drinking myself so I don't think that's wise..." Jean speculated. Wines weren't his favorite, but this place always had high quality stuff. He tensed up at Krista's question. "Uh, yeah I'm feeling alright. Why do you ask?" He politely inquired with a forced grin. He nervously prodded at the bruises on his nose.
Yumir sat herself next to Jean, smoothing out her pencil skirt, and began browsing her options for food. She glanced up at her boyfriend and kept Krista list of things to look out for in mind. Jean had a tendency to poke at bruises and pick at cuts when he got nervous. She looked at the menu again and grinned. The Georgian had excellent Halibut a la Barigoule, plus it was the perfect opportunity to make a pun!

"Well shame on me for asking then. Guess it's Pepsi for me tonight." And with that, Marco turned back to tapping on the table. Observing his menu again would be way too suspicious, even if he claimed he forgot what he wanted.
Krista rested her chin in her hands, fixing Jean with an odd yet not completely unpleasant look. "You had your head down when we came out of the ladies room. Do you have a headache? Nose ache? I have something in my purse for that if you'd like."

Jean's cheeks tinted pink once again. His head didn't hurt and his nose didn't really hurt that much either, but it'd be suspicious if he said he was alright when Krista had already seen him with his head on the table. He smiled weakly at her and said "Yeah, my nose is a little bruised so if the magical item in your purse can take care of that, then I'd be just dandy." He internally scolded himself. Who the fuck says 'just dandy'?
Yumir didn't say anything. She figured Krista was saying things so that she could get a few answers from Jean's body language and what not, but Yumir was completely lost with this. She was confused and unsure of what to do, so she put her menu down and looked around for a waiter, wondering when their orders would be taken.

Krista smiled, not the least bit suspicious even with the "just dandy" hanging above their heads. She dug around in her purse for a moment and pulled out an Ibuprofen bottle, twisting the cap off and pausing to look up at Jean. "One or two?" Marco glanced around the room, then at the members of his own table. Yumir looked as lost as he felt, but he figured he shouldn't say anything. What was there to say, after all?

"Uh, one I guess." Was it safe to take Ibuprofen and drink alcohol? Jean wasn't sure but he might as well play it on the safe side and just take one. This was a little weird... He hadn't actually properly talked to Krista before this, and here she was, all of a sudden offering him pain meds out of the blue. He shook his head. Nah, she was probably just a really thoughtful person. Yumir practically bounced in her seat when the waiter arrived. The waiter apologized for being so late and asked 'Is there anything I can get you to drink? Or perhaps some appetizers?" Yumir ordered an Iced Tea and Jean, after much debate, ordered a glass of Beringer Merlot.

Krista nodded and handed Jean one small red pill, then twisted the cap back onto the bottle and dropped it back into her purse. Hopefully Jean would stop fussing with his nose and start giving her hints as to what he and Marco were squabbling about, if anything at all. When it was her turn, she asked for a 7-up, as always, but with a lemon on the lip of the glass. It seemed fancier somehow.
Marco ordered a Pepsi as he'd said he would. He regretted it a little after the waiter left, remembering how Jean had praised their selection of fine wines. Well, it wasn't like it was the last time he was going to have dinner at that restaurant, so it didn't matter too much. "I wish they had outdoor seating. It's beautiful tonight."

Jean took the pill from Krista with a small thank you and swallowed it, grimacing when he accidentally let it sit in his mouth too long and the bitter, gritty taste invaded his tongue. "It might be beautiful, but it's probably really cold outside. Plus I wouldn't be surprised if it started raining at any given moment." Jean said. It was Seattle after all. The weather was volatile.
The waiter hurried back with their drinks in practically no time at all, he apologized once more for making their table wait so long and placed each drink with their perspective owners.
Yumir sipped absent-mindedly at her tea. The conversation at the table was slow and impossibly dull. It needed a joke of some sort. "I'm glad I'm eating meat tonight. I've decided that becoming a Vegetarian was a missed steak!"

Krista picked the lemon off of the lip of her glass and stared at Ymir, her head tilted slightly. "Mistake? Missed... Oh, that's awful!" She laughed, squeezing a bit of the lemon into her drink. She returned it to the lip of her glass and looked back at Yumir. "Were you really a vegetarian, or was that just a setup for your joke?"
Marco glanced over at Jean, his eyebrows raised. Yumir had a ridiculous sense of humor. Then again, Krista had laughed. She could've just been acting polite, but that had sounded like a genuine laugh. He had a feeling that he would be seeing Yumir and Krista together quite a bit.

Yumir grinned at the success of her joke. The other two hadn't laughed, but they were deadbeats anyway. Krista was the only one that really mattered. She threw her hands up as though she had been caught. "Ah I admit, it was a setup. I'm a sham, I know." She dabbed away at an imaginary tear and took a drink of her tea. "So, what are you guys planning on getting?" The question was directed mostly at Krista and Marco. She knew what Jean was getting.
Jean pinched the bridge of his nose, wondering how many more horrible food puns they would have to endure before the waiter brought the actual food. Hell... the waiter hadn't even taken their order yet.

Krista took a sip of her soda and shrugged. "I always get caught between the salmon and the lobster. But I think this time I'm going to get the salmon." She'd visited The Georgian with old college friends and her step-sister several times and she'd never picked anything else. Why should she?
"I'm thinking about the quail. What are you two getting?" Marco was pretty sure he'd asked Jean that same question earlier, but it'd just occurred to him that Jean might have been ignoring him. How nice of him.

Yumir smirked, yet another opening for a pun had come her way, "I'm thinking that I might get the a la Barigoule just for the halibut!" she stressed the vowels in a way that made 'halibut' sound just a bit more like 'hell of it' and hoped that this one wouldn't go over their heads. Sometimes puns were easy to miss unless people were forewarned that there's a pun there. Before Jean could answer with his order, Yumir plopped her hand on his head and ruffled his hair. "And this sulking baby over here is definitely going to get the Fricassée de Poulet!" She grinned when Jean promptly turned his head to glare at her. Because he couldn't shout or make any sort of violent movements in such a place, he resorted to muttering "Your French accent sucks ass." and letting out a childish huff of air. He was somewhat relieved when he saw the waiter heading their way, stopping at their table.

Marco paused and gave Ymir a look. She sure had an odd sense of humor. He'd never thought puns were funny, but there were some moments when he just couldn't ignore the urge to make one. Yumir seemed to think that every moment was a chance to make some kind of pun. It was silly, he'd admit, but Jean didn't seem like the type to appreciate a good pun when he heard one. Krista, on the other hand, thought every joke had the potential to be hilarious. That, or she was just being polite.
Krista smiled, her hands on her cheeks and her elbows on the table. She knew it was bad manners to have her elbows on the table, especially at such a fine restaurant, but she couldn't help it. She fixed Yumir with a look of pure admiration, as if she'd come up with that pun on her own and it was the finest she'd ever heard. It wasn't, obviously, but she more than appreciated the effort. She and Marco gave their orders once asked, her order being the king salmon, Marco's order being the glazed quail.

Jean straightened his posture when the waiter came around and relayed exactly what Yumir predicted he would order to the prude-ish looking waiter in a clear, authoritative voice and flawless French accent. The Fricassée de Poulet, also known as chicken Fricassee, here always had the highest grade chicken and french sausage around that complemented the subtle yet spicy flavor of the dish. It often reminded Jean of his aunt's cooking that always graced him when she came to visit before she had gotten married.
Yumir did indeed get the Halibut a la Barigoule and hadn't just been saying that for the pun. It wasn't her favorite dish here, but she was in a fishy mood, and the pun had definitely been worth it. A thought crossed her mind as the waiter sped away to deliver their orders. The two girls of their group were both ordering fish and the two boys, despite their immediate and apparent differences, were ordering a bird of some sort. Oh boy, Yumir felt another pun coming on... "You boys better watch out tonight. With all of those birds that you're eating, you might have a couple of poultry-geists on your hands."

Marco smiled at Jean's accent, more impressed than anything. What else should he have expected from a Frenchman, though? He hadn't realized how much he'd missed the language. Maybe he could ask Jean to help learn French again. He'd forgotten most of it, mainly because he hadn't had any reason to continue speaking French after his mother had passed, and he feared he would quickly forget Dutch as well after his father passed. Who could tell how long he would have with him before that happened, though? He could have several decades, or a few minutes. And he wouldn't know unless his father's neighbor called. He returned his attention to his new friends, Yumir in particular. Anything to get his mind off of it. "So, where are you from?"
Krista, meanwhile, had been silently attempting to contain a fit of giggles. Yumir had seen the opportunity and she had taken it. If there was one friend Krista would want to be around if she was upset, it would be Yumir. She seemed to always have a smile on her face and a pun up her sleeve. It wasn't something she was used to, to say the least. She cleared her throat and sat up straight, the fit having passed. It wasn't THAT funny, but she hadn't expected it. Unexpected jokes were the worst, in her opinion. She still loved them, though. Very much. She glanced over at Marco when he spoke, then at Yumir. She'd been curious as well, but she was glad she hadn't been the one to ask.

Yumir looked up from her drink, mid-sip and recalled her family back on their farm. "I grew up in Västra Götaland, near Påbo city." she said. It took her a few moments to realize that they might not know where that is. "Ah, that's a province in Sweden. My family owns a farm up there. I moved to the States after I started high school via an exchange program and I just kind of ended up staying because it was so nice. Ah my accent was impossible to understand back then..." She reminisced, looking down at her tea and letting go of a wistful sigh. "What about you guys? I mean goodness, don't let this be all about me, where you from honey?" Yumir asked, directed at both Marco and Krista, however Yumir made it known that she didn't really care about where Marco was from by delivering a small, subtle wink to the petite blonde sitting across from her.
Jean, who was sitting quietly on the edge of the table, farthest from the window, was absent-mindedly messing with Yumir's forgotten straw, ripping at top of the the thin paper casing and twisting the bottom. He pressed the open end to his lips and aimed it at Marco's face, blowing a quick burst of air into the straw, sending the paper hurdling towards it's destination. As soon as Jean had let out the air, he slipped the straw into Ymir's drink and stared nonchalantly at the waiters scampering around the full tables.

Krista nodded as if she knew where that was, when in all actuality, she hadn't done so well in her junior high geography class. In fact, she'd gotten a D+. She knew Sweden was in Europe, but other than her own homeland, she didn't know too much about Europe in general. "My family is originally from Germany, but we relocated to Canada shortly before I was born. I grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, and eventually moved to San Diego right before I started high school. That's actually where I met Marco." She looked down, her cheeks pink. Was Yumir usually that forward? She had hardly seen Yumir act so friendly with Jean, her own boyfriend. Maybe that was just how she made friends?
Marco rested his cheek in his hand, his eyes on Krista while she spoke. He turned to Yumir again once she finished, and though he figured she wasn't that interested, he answered her question anyway. "I'm from Belgium. I moved to San Diego to stay with my aunt after my dad's shop lost most of his business and he couldn't afford to support three of us and pay the mortgage and bills all at once. I moved here after college, and I asked Krista to come with me." He turned to Jean just in time to get hit by a straw wrapper, right in the nose. He laughed and flicked it back at Jean, aiming for his face but missing and hitting his shoulder instead. "This means war!"

Jean forced himself to suppress a wolfish grin from spreading over his lips and instead turned to Marco with an incredulous look on his facial features. "How could you think I would do such a thing?" He lied but he couldn't hold it back, and he flashed his teeth in that mischievous smirk. "But if you insist, then you're on, freckle-boy." Jean grabbed the discarded paper laying on his shoulder and crumpled it into a ball, flicking it back towards Marco's face.
Yumir wasn't sure whether she should laugh at their boyish antics, or be disappointed in them for being so childish. She didn't really care if they were childish or not on their own time, but she couldn't help but think that they should try to maintain themselves in such a nice restaurant, although Yumir felt a little hypocritical at that notion. Her attention was directed towards her stomach when their waiter returned, food in hand.

Marco and Jean continued their war throughout dinner, much to the dismay of Yumir and Krista. Once they'd all finished eating and declined dessert, their waiter brought them their check. Marco and Jean split it, and they all went on their way. Krista's apartment was on the way home, so Marco dropped her off, kissed her cheek and said good night. Once they'd gotten back to their own apartment, Yumir and Jean said their goodbyes as well, and she drove herself home. And with that, the boys were alone.
Their cheery conversation dwindled considerably as soon as they entered their apartment, and they quickly went their separate ways; Marco in his room, Jean in his own. Marco changed out of his formal attire and into his pajamas and slippers. He'd had a good time, but he still regretted being unable to get Krista alone. Sure they'd had time when he dropped her off, but with Yumir leaning out her window and wolf-whistling, it hadn't been the right time. He wasn't in any hurry though, so it hardly mattered.
He fell back onto his bed with a sigh and stared up at the ceiling for a while, a contented, crooked smile on his lips. He'd love to double-date with Yumir and Jean sometime again, preferably when things weren't quite so awkward between him and his new roommate. Sure, the mood had changed considerably after their little "war" happened, but he'd rather that mood continue throughout the whole night instead of near the end. He wasn't sure if that made much sense, but he stuck by it anyway.

The moment Jean had gotten home, he'd gone straight to his room to take off his monkey suit. Pulling his pants off, with significantly less struggle than he'd had while putting them on, Jean let out a sigh and stretched his arms. The date had been fun, albeit awkward in the beginning, but it was nice to know that Marco had a sense of humor. Jean unbuttoned his dress-shirt and threw it to a random corner of his room before looking around. The plastic bag Connie had given him sat on the top of his dresser and he assumed Yumir had left it there. He could open it now, but he wasn't all that eager to see what sort of gift his short co-worker had gotten him, His mattress was still leaning up against the wall, where he and Marco had left it earlier. Jean scratched at a couple of itches on his lower back while he checked the clock on his broken flip-phone. It was only 10 pm, so he had about an hour or two before he needed to get to sleep in time to wake up tomorrow morning. Jean had promised Marco he'd help him take down all of the fliers tomorrow. He wondered if he should slack off for another hour, or go ahead and set up his room by himself. If he did that though, he might be too tired and end up sleeping on the floor. Jean put aside his desires for laziness and pulled at the top of the mattress. It didn't matter to Jean where it went, so he let it drop and wherever it fell, it would probably stay there. As the mattress fell to the ground, it bumped into Jean's side and flopped to the floor. Jean hissed as he felt an unusual sting where the mattress had collided with his hips. It shouldn't have hurt as much as it did, so he glanced down at his hips. "Holy fuck!" Jean exclaimed when his eyes were graced with the site of five long, blackening bruises on each side of his slim, pale hips. He must have gotten them during that unpleasant event from earlier on that day, when he ever-so-smoothly tripped over his own pants.

Marco had very nearly passed out before he heard a thump and Jean yell. He stood up and crossed his room, opening the door enough to lean his torso out. Jean should be able to hear him through his closed door, but if he couldn't, Marco would probably either knock or just let it be. "You okay? Trapped under your mattress or something?" He smiled at that image, though quickly reprimanded himself. A mattress that size was very likely to give Jean a bruise or two at least, but only if he fell wrong and it hit him a certain way. But still, it wasn't nice to laugh at someone else's misfortune. He stepped out into the hall and listened for a response, leaning against his doorframe with the door handle in his fist. He'd give Jean a moment to compose himself in case he needed it. That thump had been pretty loud though. He hoped the people under them hadn't been startled by it. If they had been, they'd probably come up and ask them to "settle down, you lousy kids". Dazz had had that happen quite a few times when he still lived there, and while it was funny the first few times, Marco quickly grew tired of getting woken up in the middle of the night by a loud knock on the door just because Dazz had been stomping around a little. Well, one of the good things about having a new roommate was that the chances of them being like the previous roommate were pretty slim. ...Okay, Marco had made that up. But he could still hope, couldn't he?

Jean had busied himself by pressing at his newfound bruises when he heard Marco's voice coming from the other side of his door. "You okay? Trapped under your mattress or something?" Marco's voice called. Jean hesitated. Should he tell Marco about the bruises he had discovered? No way, that's way too embarrassing. He had absolutely no desire to once again bring up that humiliating happenstance that occurred during his move in. "I just uhm, my mattress accidentally fell on me and I was just startled but it's all good, no problems here." Jean lied through his teeth. He was normally an okay liar, but wow that was just a pitiful attempt. Hopefully Marco wouldn't question him about it though. "You don't think the neighbors heard and will get mad about it, do you?" He asked, still behind the closed door of his room. His fingers rubbed against the discoloured patches littering his skin anxiously. Sitting here acting all nervous like he'd gotten caught doing something wrong was just stupid of him. Jean let go of his hips and procured bedsheets from his last cardboard box.

Marco grinned, crossing his arms over his chest. Jean startled easily? He had a hell of a time trying to imagine that. But hey, looks can be deceiving. "Cross your fingers and hope they won't. If we get a knock on the door, I'll answer it. She hates me a little less than everyone else. Says I don't backtalk and I seem genuinely apologetic. But odds are, she's already passed out and didn't hear it. So count your blessings." He wandered into the bathroom and brushed his teeth, the room feeling a little colder than the rest of the apartment. He hated the tile. The pattern was ugly and he didn't like how cold it always was if he forgot his slippers. Who puts a bathroom at the back of an apartment, anyway? Maybe they should get a small space heater or something and put it in the corner. Or get a rug.
Once he finished brushing his teeth, he shut the bathroom door behind him and went back into his room, though he stopped in the doorway. "Good night, see you in the morning," he called to Jean's closed bedroom door. He was definitely looking forward to guy's night, if Jean was still up for it. It would give him a chance to really get to know his new roommate, with the added bonus of nachos and beer. Who wouldn't be excited for that?

Count your blessings. Not exactly a statement that Jean was fond of but it didn't matter anymore. That was in the past. He shrugged to himself and hoped that the woman downstairs was already asleep, which at this moment, was something he really wanted to be. "Kay, night dude." He answered as he finished slipping his sheets onto his mattress. They were covered in orange, innocent looking kittens with halos and had been a birthday present from Connie almost a year ago. The gifts Connie gave were goofy and almost always held hints of irony and elementary school humor, and most of them were useless. Hence Jean's apprehension to open the white plastic bag sitting upon his dresser. Nevertheless, Jean would open it, and provided that it was somewhat useful, he would probably use it. Pulling the last item, a black soft-fleece blanket, from the last cardboard box, Jean lazily flopped back onto his bed, leaving the blanket strewn over his stomach. His pillows sat in the corner opposite of his bed, but he didn't feel like getting them at this moment. He'd get them later tomorrow, he decided. Jean closed his eyes and rubbed his thumb across the bruises on his hips as he waited for the comforting darkness of sleep to welcome him with open arms.


Notes: Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story. My roleplay partner and I always love hearing what you have to say and it's a big inspiration just knowing that so many of you like this story that we've created.

Anyway, I've opened up a poll on my profile that has to do with this story, perhaps you should go check it out?

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please leave them in the form of a review.
Farewell, everyone, and see you next chapter, where the new day is both boring and eventful for these boys!

My wonderful roleplay partner's tumblr: bokunomarco . tumblr . c o m

My beta-reader's tumblr: arseraptor . tumblr . c o m

My tumblr: sexon3dmaneuvergear . tumblr . c o m

(remove all spaces from links provided)