I NEED FLUFF

I MUST WRITE FLUFF

Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan.

FIFTY-EIGHT

Finals week started and Marco was really nervous, but he powered up when I encouraged him, saying I had faith in him, that he'll be the highest A there and that I'll be cheering for him. I showered him with lots and lots of compliments and motivational thoughts. A few kisses and make outs were involved, of course and sure, when the week ended and the final grades were given, he aced all of them. All of them.

We were in school picking the notes up, -"You should talk with the teachers, Jean."- Marco's mom advised as I bit off my nails, kind of nervous too. Marco already got his and they were sparkling compared to mine -well, possibly, I was lining up to get it.

-"Yeah."- I mused, wondering what Levi gave me. I think they all gave me the grade I already had and if my memory doesn't fail me, they weren't sparkling.

My turn was next and, help me, Levi was the one handing the notes. I heard something about Hanji, that she was sick and couldn't come so Levi was doing her the favor, -"My, my, my, who do we have here?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes as I walked toward him.

-"None other than Jean Kirshtein, the walking hell,"- He clapped his hands, -"Still lacking discipline, I see."

I smirked, crossing my arms and shrugging, -"You know me."

He made a face, jointing his hand and resting his elbows on the table like usual, -"Unfortunately, I do,"- He then rummaged through some papers, looking for my notes, -"How do you fare, Kirshtein? What have you been up to?"

-"Pretty well, in fact."

A grin rose to his face as he nodded towards Marco, -"Oh, 'pretty well' indeed,"- I glanced back at Marco unconsciously, spotting him talking with his mom, joyful about his grades. His mom kissed his cheek, proud of him. My cheeks lit up and I looked away from Levi, -"I heard you've been quite naughty."

Now, my face burned while images of my intimate moments with Marco flooded me, -"I-I...,"- I stuttered, feeling the back of my neck sweaty at the hot images, -"Pfft, p-please, you know I'm an angel."- Really, Jean? Really?

Levi laughed out loud, -"Yes, and I'm King of Sina,"- I rolled my eyes, finding his comment more stupid than mines -well, a bit, -"Ah, here they are,"- He handed me my notes. I eyed them; Art: B, Spanish: C, Math: D, Science: C, English: B, Physical Education: A, Chemistry: D. Damn, math's D was 60%, almost F -heck, it might've be F and maybe Hanji boosted it, -"Quite the grades, are they not?"

Well shit, at least I passed, -"Yeah..."- I mused, eyes on the paper. I wonder how Mom would've reacted if she saw them. Would she have kissed my cheek too? I wasn't too proud of them, but at least I won't need to repeat classes on summer.

-"You can do better, Kirshtein, if you work on your attitude."- He advised, his brows furrowed.

What does that have to do with my grades? Did he removed points for bad behavior? I just nodded, not in the mood to argue with him. Marco's mom asked me afterwards and it resulted difficult to confess, afraid she'll think less of me, but when I did, she planted a soft kiss on my cheek, -"I'm proud of you, Jean. You did all you could. It wasn't an easy semester for you."

My eyes welled up, felling all emotive, and she was right, this semester wasn't easy at all. Just thinking about all the problems I've faced up until now made my head ache. I actually expected worse grades.

-"Your mom would've been proud of you."- She said, smiling tenderly, just like Marco does.

-"You... you really think so?"

She nodded.

Again, my eyes welled and I had to bit my lip to hold a few tears, -"Thanks... for believing in me."- I'm so glad to have met her. If it wasn't for her... damn, I can't even wrap my mind around the though. She has always been there when I needed her most. I could make an endless list of how many times she has saved my ass. She has been... like a mother to me and I could've been a stranger to her, but she didn't think of me like that. She though I was someone special, someone worth getting out of the way for.

Marco was worried about me... and my grades. We had a small discussion. He, like Levi, said I could do better and that I have to next semester. He understood what I've been through, he was there, and that he knew I did my best, but that I can't leave it there. I felt kind of pressured until he said that he had faith in me, that he believed in me. I ended up promising I will and gave him a sweet kiss in the lips.

Afterwards, we met with several of my group and my soccer team. They were all surprised to see me after so long, -"Yo, Jean!"- Connie, like the loudmouth he always is, was the first one to speak, -"It's been, how long now? A month?"

-"More or less, yeah."

-"Damn!"- He exclaimed, patting my shoulder, -"It's good to see you!"

Someone suddenly jumped on me and I wasn't surprised to see it was Sasha, -"Oh my God, Jean!"

She hugged me tightly and I tried to loosen her grip, -"Y-yeah... good to see you too, Sasha."- Connie's glare was putting me on edge.

When she let go, I took a deep breath before someone else jumped on me, -"Jean!"- More girls. Krista, Hannah and Mina joined. I hugged them back a bit awkwardly.

-"Woah, is that horse face?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed, and yet, a smirk made it's way through my lips, -"Is that Yeager?"

-"Holy shit, it is you,"- Eren emerged and behind him, Armin and Mikasa, like always, -"Got into any fights lately?"- He mocked.

-"Has Mikasa saved your ass lately?"- I mocked back.

Eren laughed, but his brows furrowed a bit, always hassled and agitated by that comment, but before he could come up with a comeback, Armin spoke, -"How you've been, Jean? You've missed a lot in school!"

They showered me with questions full of concern and curiosity as to what I've been doing all this time. I didn't hold much back and eventually, they asked me about Mom and I spoke truthfully. They showed sympathy towards me and I was grateful, -"So,"- Ymir was elbowing me, rising and lowering her eyebrows teasingly as she pointed at Marco, -"How's Marco's butt hole?"

My face burned at her question and I straightened up abruptly, -"W-what do you mean?"- I stuttered as mental images of that outcome passed by.

-"Don't act all innocent. You know what I mean."

I did know what she meant, but Marco and I haven't reach that level of intimacy. I just shoved her elbow away, unsure of how to answer.

My lack of a response seemed to amuse her more. She laughed out loud and patted my back. Krista, like always, stepped in, kicking her, -"Stop mocking him, Ymir! He didn't had an easy month!"

Krista was always on spot, but I was just glad she stepped in when she did.

-"Yo,"- A deep voice resonated from behind me and I looked over my shoulder to see none other than Reiner, -"It's been a while. I though you'd never show your face around here."

Huh, that was actually my first plan, but I won't be taken down so soon, -"I like the suspense."

Reiner laughed and we shook hands. A smile rose to my lips, remembering how supportive Reiner was in my downfalls, -"I'm glad you're alright, Jean."

I thank him and that's when I noticed Bertolt looming close behind him -too close, to be frank. I know they've been friends since kids, but their current proximity told me something else was on the line. I always had a feeling that Bert has a crush on Annie, but I've never seen them talking or even looking at each other. I didn't dwell on the thoughts.

More members of our group came and we gathered on one of the classrooms. We chatted as time passed by, catching up to the latest gossips and whatnot. Reiner and I talked about the soccer team, future plans and all. He told me they didn't do much since I was absent, but that he had no plans for quiting either. Sadly, our averse didn't hold back and I told him that we had to keep training in order to stay even with them.

After that, we all headed to our respective homes after saying farewells and along the way, I couldn't stop thinking of the fact that I haven't asked Marco out, not even once -oh, and that I never officially asked him to be my boyfriend. Also, I never asked for his cellphone number wither. Odd how this all worked for us in the end though.

Next day, I cleared my throat before speaking, -"Hey, Marco, I've been meaning to ask you something."- I said, sitting beside him. He was in my bed playing Skyrim.

-"Hm?"- He mused, eyes on the TV.

-"I, er...,"- Oh, come on, Jean, are you nervous? Seriously? I nagged at myself, feeling my stomach twist as I tried to speak. I've never asked him on a date before, but it's still ridiculous after all Marco and I have shared, -"I... wanted to ask you if you'd, um..., like to go out with me."

Marco paused the game and glanced at me, his lips forming into a small, playful smile, -"We've gone out several times, haven't we?"- He asked, playing all innocent even though he knew what I was really asking. He just wanted to hear me say it. He was also amused at my jitters. Clever ass.

-"I-I know, but...,"- I stuttered, feeling my throat dry, -"I want to ask you out... on a date."

His smile grew, -"A date?"- He repeated, closing the space between us.

I nodded, my cheeks flaring up, -"Y-yeah..."

He chuckled and pecked my lips, -"Of course. Just say when and where."

My body warmed up in joy, -"How about tomorrow? We could go to the movies."

He nodded, -"I'll call mom,"- But before he could reach his phone, I cupped his face and kissed him gently, slowing pushing him to bed. We wrapped our arms around each other, making out and cuddling for a few minutes until his phone rang. We parted a bit breathless and he answered it, -"Hey, mom,"- He said, pacing around my room, -"I was just going to call you, actually. Jean asked me out and he wants to go to the movies. Okay, thanks,"- Marco turned to me while I wondered about something, -"She said she'd take us tomorrow around midday. Sounds good?"

-"Yeah, of course,"- Marco sat beside me again and lent closer to me, resuming our latter moment. Among the kisses, I spoke up raggedly, unable to avoid the question any further, -"Hey, Marco, do you, um, talk to your mother about... you know, us and what we've been doing?"

He lifted his head a bit, probably not expecting the question coming out of the blue while we made out, "I... I do, why? That doesn't bother you..., right?"

-"No, of course not,"- I was actually glad he did. I don't want to be the cause of their lack of communication or something, -"I'm actually content that you do."

-"Thanks,"- He said and I noted his face lit up in awe and joy, glad that I agreed, -"And did you... talked about me to your mom?"

-"Yup,"- I said and my face dropped a bit, -"But not everything..."

-"Jean..."- Marco breathed while caressing my face.

-"It's alright,"- I smiled tenderly, his concern always warming me up, -"I wished I could've told her more, though. I have a lot to say about you."- I flirted, giving him a natty smirk.

He chuckled, -"Like what?"

-"Like you have gorgeous eyes and cheeks, damned adorable freckles,"- I kissed them as I spoke, -"And that you're the best person in the word, the best that have ever happened to me."

We made out for more minutes and did nothing but play video games for the rest of the evening.

In Marco's house's living room with his mom, I waited for him to finish clothing up. His mom often asked me about us, how things were going, etc. and I answered with honesty, seeing no reason at all to lie to her. She was happy for both us, saying we both deserved it and more. Again, she brought up the Christmas day family reunion, but she didn't mentioned her family much, she just said she'd like for me to spend the day and night here with both of them. I couldn't deny, like always, -"I have a recipe for a brownie cake somewhere around. Marco told me of your love for chocolate."

I chuckled, wondering what else he said to her, -"Yeah, that's sounds appetitive."

After a few minutes, Marco showed up. Again, I was reminded of the whole "who's the girl and boy in a gay relationship" thing. In most heterosexual relationships, girls tend to tarry longer when preparing for a date or something. Between me and Marco, he was the one to linger most. It all points out that he was the girl, but that's just me fantasizing. It's kind of ridiculous. We're both men and that's that. Even if he has some girl's habits, he's still a guy and hey, not all girls are the same. Who says it's not vice versa?

I shoved all my thoughts away and gawked at him. He had a white t-shirt with some of DC's superheroes' faces like Green Lantern, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Flash, Superman, Batman, Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman. The t-shirt was hanging loosely around a light blue and slightly torn jeans. With his black converse, his white superman coat over his shoulder, his squared nerdy glasses and a few geek rubber bracelets, he was ready to go.

I, on the other hand, didn't looked that good. I had a plain black long-sleeved shirt, silvered jeans and black boots with a few silver bracelets. I still looked good. I made sure of that like ten times in front of the mirror. Like when asking him out, I was a little nervous, no matter how many times I slapped and told myself it was ridiculous. I'm also considering asking him to be my boyfriend... officially, which worsened my nerves.

We mounted the car and rode off to Trost Plaza which had the biggest cinema. When the reached it, we bid Marco's mom farewell and dismounted it. We watched her rode away and faced the buzzed plaza. Like most holidays, it was full with people making preparations for Christmas. I even spotted several people carrying toys and Christmas trees. In my periphery, I saw Marco overjoyed at the sight, his eyes lit up in this unique way. He literally couldn't look anywhere else. Memories of my childhood with him surfaced. I remembered how happy and excited he always was when December began. In drawing classes, he often spoke about what he wished Santa would bring him. Now, it was a bit different, he knew who was really behind the presents, he grew up, but he still enjoyed the holiday as if he were still a kid.

We headed inside and Marco was gawking at all the Christmas stores, placing his hands on the glass, gaping his mouth and his eyes shimmering. An amazing idea popped into my head: I could surprise him with a present that day, I can even put it under their tree. I just have to know what he really wants and if I ask him, it'll be too obvious. Marco was clever. I just have to keep an eye on him and sure enough, when we stopped by a book store, he squealed and rushed inside like a kid. I chuckled as he hustled me inside, gripping my arm tightly. He checked every book in store, literally, but he had his eye on four specifics books: Vampire Academy: Last Sacrifice, The Fault in Our Stars, City of Bones and Geography Club. Apart from those, he stared at a few comics, specially Superman's. He was actually going to buy one, -"Marco, I think we should save the money for the movie and the popcorn, don't you?"- I attempted to dissuade him from buying anything.

His face dropped a bit and guilt started to boil in me, -"Yeah, you're right."- He smiled at me before placing the book where it was.

I sighed in relief and we headed out. Next stop was GameStop. I knew Marco was interested in a few games too, like the new Assassin's Creed: Syndicate which was sadly for PS4 only. I wondered if his mom could afford it. I'll have to ask her when we get back. In fact, I was the one drooling over the new console. I couldn't image how that beast runs. I wanted to test it out since there's one on the store, but there was this fucking annoying kiddo who wouldn't peel off of it for even a second.

Around 12, we headed towards the cinema, our hands tied together all the time. People were giving us disgusted looks, but we ignored them. Marco rested his head on my shoulder as he pointed to shops that caught his eyes, specially Hot Topic. I also though about buying him a shirt or two. Damn it, I wanted to buy him everything. He deserved so much...

We entered the lounger after buying the tickets and popcorn and sat relatively close to the big screen. I preferred the back rows, but Marco wasn't so comfortable back there. Here's fine anyhow. While we waited for the movie to start, Marco and I chatted about random stuff, watched a few videos on his cellphone and I wondered if this was a good time to ask him to be my boyfriend, but I digressed, thinking it might be dull and I'd regret it later. The movie started after a few minutes and immediately, we began laughing at it. It was a animated, comical movie, the kind Marco preferred. I enjoyed Marco's laughter more than the movie, to be honest. During the movie, I felt him shaking a bit, probably because of how cold this place got. I grabbed his coat and wrapped it around each other, throwing my hand over him in the process. I pulled him closer and we snuggled, resting our heads on each other. I often fed him popcorn and felt thrills whenever his tongue brushed my fingers, -"You know,"- I whispered into his ear, -"You're cute when you're cold -actually, you're always cute."

Marco chuckled and planted a soft kiss on my cheeks, -"And you're cute when you're mushy."

I chuckled too kissed his cheeks at random spots, musing all sorts of compliments to him. When the movie finished some hours later, some guy from behind us muttered 'yuck, gays' and it was probably meant for us. I stood and turned to face the guy; he quickly stepped back, not expecting my move. I gave him a death glare before walking out of the lounge with Marco. We bought ice cream afterwards and while we scooped our spoons in, I spoke up, feeling this was a good time as any, -"Hey, Marco, I'm gonna ask you something,"- I said, swallowing cold chocolate ice cream, -"I know it's super late, just bear with me, but I, uh..., wanted to ask if you want to be my boyfriend."

Marco stared at me for a while before laughing lowly, -"Really, Jean?"

-"Yeah,"- I laughed lowly too, scratching the back of my neck as I felt my cheeks burning up. -"I dunno, I just feel like it's something I need to do, like, it's part of this whole thing -us, I mean, our relationship."

He smiled tenderly, -"I know."- He said and lent closer. He was sitting opposite of me, but the table was round and small, so the space between us wasn't too large.

-"So..., uh, what do you say?"- I almost snorted, knowing the answer was obvious, still, I wanted to hear him.

He nodded quickly, said yes and closed the space between us and planted a soft peck on my lips, his cheeks lighting up in jolly, -"What do we do now?"- He chucked and pressed his lips against mine again.

-"Wanna go to the arcade?"

He nodded joyfully and we walked away, hands tied and close to each other. In the arcade, we played a lot more than we expected and I won a fair deal in this basketball machine where I had to throw the ball; if I dunked in the highest ring, the higher my score will be and I did dunked there several times. Marco wasn't so good though, he failed most of the shots. When I turned in my pile of tickets, I ended up trading it for some anime beanie Marco was drooling at; Fairy Tail, I think it was. Yeah, it was that fake cover for a yaoi manga in the library which we both fell for. He widened his eyes and gaped his mouth at me when the dude handed me the beanie. I handed it to Marco and he literally jumped at me, saying 'thank you' nonstop. I hugged him tightly after telling him I loved him a thousand times. I knew he wanted to get me something too and with the few tickets he had, he trade them for a CoD pin. I was more overwhelmed by his generous thought and couldn't stop kissing his cheek.

We headed home after a few hours of walking around the plaza. We played a few video games and made out before going to sleep. I have to say that this was the best day ever. I couldn't be more happier. My stomach felt like it had horde of butterflies in it. I also felt as if a boulder was removed from me, it's about the whole 'ask him to be my boyfriend thing'. Again, I just felt like I had to do it, no matter how many times I bedded him or how unnecessary it actually was. I can't express it into words, -"Oh, Marco?"

-"Yeah?"- He said, curled up in my bed with all the sheets.

-"Gimme your cellphone number."- I snorted. All this time, I've forgotten to ask for something this important.

Marco laughed, -"Okay,"- He looked for my cellphone and we exchanged number. I named his contact 'my cute-stupid! boyfriend' and he named me 'my dummy jean'. We laughed at our choice for names a while until Marco yawned, -"Goodnight, Jean."- Before he slumped into my bed, he lent down and kissed me, whispering I love you.

-"I love you too."- I replied and we finally fell asleep.