Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/1183328.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Choose_Not_To_Use_Archive_Warnings, Underage
  Category:
      M/M, Multi
  Fandom:
      Shingeki_no_Kyojin_|_Attack_on_Titan
  Relationship:
      Jean_Kirstein/Eren_Yeager, Other_pairings_to_be_announced, Jean_Kirstein
      &_Eren_Yeager, Mikasa_Ackerman/Armin_Arlert/Annie_Leonhart
  Character:
      Jean_Kirstein, Eren_Yeager
  Additional Tags:
      Street_kids_AU, jean_and_eren_being_cute_lil_jerks, jean_is_a_mute, this
      list_will_probs_get_longer_later_ok, i_didn't_mean_for_this_to_be_fluffy
      but_IT_IS, jean_slowly_realizing_he_likes_eren_and_not_wanting_to_drive
      him_away_uGGGH, cough_cough_notice_the_rating_change_friends, jean_is_an
      adorable_drunk_who_wants_to_eat_cake
  Stats:
      Published: 2014-02-14 Updated: 2014-05-19 Chapters: 11/? Words: 20083
****** A Chance to Break our Parents' Patterns ******
by degausser
Summary
     Trost is overrun with teen run aways and orphans, but the system just
     lets them to fall to the wayside and pretends they don't exist. Jean
     falls into this niche after admitting his sexuality to his parents,
     and now he has to deal with all of the emotional set backs. He also
     was naive enough to think Marco was the only guy for him until this
     weird fucker named Eren came around.
Notes
     A/N: um so I wanted to get back into fanfiction and this idea of au
     idea of street kid jean/eren with jean as a mute hit me! And I mean
     there isn’t enough jean/eren fic in the world so I decided to try my
     hand at this fanfiction writing stuff again. It’s kind of spiraled
     out of control, and this is just what I have so far, I might add
     more???
     Also wow there are so many great fanmixs on 8tracks for jean/eren,
     thank you fandom! I can’t even list how many I’ve gone through while
     writing!
***** Chapter 1 *****
Jean wakes up on his back, underneath three itchy blankets, and on a futon that
is a little too small for his tall frame. He coughs harshly, and rubs his too
long flannel sleeves over the heaviness of his eyelids before attempting to
take in his surroundings. The ceiling is far away with industrial lighting and
bare copper pipes, which remind him of the warehouses him and his friends used
to sneak into when they wanted to smoke pot. He gently moves his elbows beneath
himself, and slowly pushes himself up only to jump as a tanned hand shoves him
back into a laying position. The shocking surprise causes him to hack for a few
seconds, his lungs trying to catch up, and he turns his teary glare toward the
other figure in the room.
He blinks a few times to clear his vision, and chokes at the sudden assault of
viridian. He wants to shrink away, and instead averts his gaze at the way this
stranger looks at him. He looks soft with concern even with his lips twisted in
clear amusement at Jean’s idiocy.
“You’re Jean, right? ” Jean jerks his head up, brows furrowed in confusion
because he’s never seen this guy before, and fuck he’s gorgeous. His olive skin
glows even underneath the gross lighting, and this causes Jean’s cheeks to heat
up while he tries to drag his thoughts away from rambling about the softness of
his black hair too. “I’m Eren, I found you in the alley two streets over from
the grocery store. You’re a fucking idiot, freezing out there by yourself.”
Jean grinds his jaw in anger, wanting to throw back a barrage of insults, but
his throat burns violently at the thought of even spiting out a one-syllable
word. So, he just swallows and nods to answer the first question.
Eren’s face turns completive, like he’s pondering if he should tell Jean
something heavy, and Jean watches him sigh softly. If there is one thing Jean
hates, it’s being treated too delicately, and he huffs to get Eren’s attention.
Eren pauses, and then finally says, “I’m Eren, Marco would come by occasionally
to trade for supplies, we tried to convince him to stay with us, but he told
us; you’re an untrusting asshole.”
The name is like a sucker punch to the gut, and Jean automatically squeezes his
eyes shut. His mind begins to play what happened the day before.
                                      ---
Jean grits his teeth at the pitiful sight of Marco’s pleading eyes, and
swallows against the burning sensation of tears forming in his own. He refuses
to label this emotion rising in him as sadness, and cradles it to his chest
when he renames it as fury.
“I’m so sorry Jean, but they even sent money to have me come home,” Marco
murmurs and Jean thinks that a better person would be happy for him. A better
person would tell Marco to go home, fatten up, and wash this awful period of
his life from his skin. He’s not a better person though, he’s bitter and fucked
up because his parents kicked him out the moment he declared his love for Marco
to them, and his parents would never offer to let him crawl home again.
It’s not like hiding himself away would have made him happier, but at least he
would have a safe place to rest his head, and his mother wouldn’t avert her
eyes when she saw him idling outside of the local supermarket.
“Fuck you,” he spits out and flinches at the broken expression on Marco’s face.
He hasn’t spoken in months, since his parents hissed at him and cast him out
like a filthy stray into the streets. He was used to being their golden boy,
even when he gauged his ears and opted for an under cut. The shock was too much
for him, and his throat has been hurting for months after that. He knows it’s
all in his head, that his throat is perfectly fine, but Marco doesn’t push him
and suddenly Jean regrets that his first words in months are so hateful.
A better person would have forced a smile of understanding and sent the person
they loved on their way, but maybe Jean just wasn’t cut out for love. He tries
to compose himself, offer some meaningful words, but his throat burns from
recent use and he just tightens his leather jacket around him, nods at his now
ex-boyfriend, and flees out of their shared alleyway.
When he returns four hours later, Marco is missing along with the tattered
plaid blanket that they would huddle underneath at night. The emotional weight
is heavy on his shoulders, and for the first time, he gives in to the crushing
feeling of desperation that has been following him around for months. At least
when Marco was around, it lessened everything, but he now has to deal with it
all on his own. With heavy steps, he moves to the end of the alleyway, leans
against the empty dumpster, and slumps to the ground as his legs give out
underneath him. He barely manages to tug his hood over his head, before he
passes out from emotional exhaustion.
                                      ---
His breathing is accelerated in clear panic, and Eren is suddenly pushing him
forward just enough to climb behind him. His tanned hands gently resting on his
chest, pulling him back in the cradle of his legs and encouraging Jean to
breathe with him. Jean lets out a few more wheezing breaths before falling into
a bout of hacking, but then he finally relaxes back into the warmth of Eren’s
chest. Eren doesn’t even shift, and lets the back of Jean’s head rest on his
shoulder. Eren’s long fingers tap out a random beat over his chest, and Jean
appreciates how he lets them sit in silence to let Jean stew over everything.
Jean feels himself relaxing before he starts considering how odd this all is.
Eren is someone he met less then an hour ago, but is someone who he allows to
touch him without flying into a defensive and violent rage. He’d just gotten so
used to bobbing and weaving underneath the arms of bulkier, yet less talented
street kids trying to steal their supplies that he was on edge most of the
time. They were constantly out in the open and his paranoia would be so high
that even the softness of Marco’s fingertips would set him off negatively.
Maybe that had been another reason that he had left him behind.
Eren reaches up and rubs the softness of his Henley shirtsleeve against his
cheek as if trying to pull him from the negative space in his mind. Jean is
about to turn his head and smile at him for the effort, but instead scrunches
up his nose at the dirt that transfers from his skin to the fabric. He flushes
bright red, suddenly realizing that he probably smells like shit as well and
whimpers lowly in the back of his throat in pure embarrassment. Eren’s chest
rumbles with a soft laugh and Jean jerks his neck just enough to glare at him.
Eren’s face softens into a slight smile, and Jean’s jaw slackens at the way it
completely morphs his face. He still pushes his hands into Eren’s face, and
very carefully signs: “you’re an asshole.” He figures it’s the only way to keep
his pride and he grins slightly at the way Eren looks confused. Jean had grown
up in a household with a French mother, and his sign language is only basic
high school stuff with a smattering of creative curses. He doubts even those
who are fluent in sign language can recognize most of his signs because of his
clumsy finger positioning, but he’s gotten better.
“I feel like you just insulted me,” Eren murmurs and Jean lets out a strain of
amused laughter followed by a few raucous coughs. Eren snorts when he finally
stops, and shakes his head. “You’re lucky I’ll still let you use the shower,
you piece of shit.” Jean doesn’t even frown at the insult, instead sends a
toothy grin in response. 
***** Chapter 2 *****
Chapter Notes
     I kept wondering if I should play with their ages or not, but then I
     decided that it’s an AU and so I can do whatever I want! Here’s how
     their ages break down so far:
     Jean – 17, almost 18
     Armin – 18
     Annie, Eren, Mikasa– 19
     I can add the ages of the rest of the characters if you want! I just
     wanted jean being the baby even though, I know he’s an older recruit
     in the manga. :3
     Also this is the first time I’ve done a fic where I get to go between
     the two main characters’ POV, so I hope it works all right!
Eren learned a long time ago that getting too attached to people doesn’t do any
good for him. He has Mikasa and Armin, along with a random group of people who
tend to drift in and out of his life. Annie is becoming a more permanent
fixture, but he still doesn’t let her closer to his heart then necessary.
Needless to say, he doesn’t know why he already feels so fond of this two toned
hair fucker named Jean.
He’s already memorized his face, from hovering around while the kid wheezed
away in his sleep. He’s noticed that Jean’s hair is growing out at old angles,
and he seems to be in need of a good cut and possible dye jobs if his roots
have anything to say about it. He also notices that his cheekbones look too
sharp, it makes his face look starved, and it causes his gut to clench with
worry. Despite all of these signs that point to delicacy, Eren also noticed
Jean’s ever-clenching fists in his sleep, fingers wrapped in weathered boxing
tape, not ready to give up.
“Fuck,” Eren grunts out and slams his forehead against the hard wood of the
communal bathroom. Inside, Jean is showering and making soft humming noises,
and he groans softly to himself because it’s cute as fuck. He should have let
Armin convince Mikasa to check on Jean; Armin had always been fonder of Marco
after all. Instead, he’s nursing a coil of affection that could potentially
backfire on him.
The heavy echo of the front door closing pulls him out of his thoughts, and he
leaves the small hallway, which houses the medium communal bathroom on one side
and on the other is a slightly smaller room full of bunk beds. He steps out
into the mostly open space of the rest of the warehouse, and sees his friends
in the front corner by the office that houses a mini TV, a loveseat, and a game
system that works only 80% of the time. Mikasa is closing the door while Armin
unties his scarf, and Annie kicks off her combat boots.
Armin notices him first, cheeks reddened by cold scrunching up as he offers
Eren a friendly grin. “Did you get Jean?” Eren can’t help being amused at how
Armin’s mind can be so one track. When he nods, Armin’s eyes almost seem to
sparkle and Eren can’t help reaching out to ruffle his hair fondly. Two seconds
later, his hand is being slapped away and Armin is being tugged back into a
jealous Annie’s arms. Mikasa merely rolls her eyes at her behavior and throws
her coat into the open door of the office.
Eren just ignores it, used to the odd relationship between Annie, Armin, and
Mikasa, and offers an amused look. “Did you guys get all the food?” He cranes
his head toward the paper bags at the door, eager to dig through them, but
Mikasa’s heavy stare keeps him from doing so.
“We got your cinnamon toast crunch if that’s what you’re worried about,” Mikasa
sighs, and crosses the cement floor to put everything away in the cabinets of
the small kitchenette. Eren grins satisfied with the answer, and then turns his
attention to Annie on the couch with Armin in her lap.  Armin motions him over,
and he sits on the tattered arm of the couch, waiting for him to speak again.
“What kind of condition was Jean in?” Armin questions, and cranes his head
around as if looking for the younger kid. Eren waits until Armin’s attention is
back on him, and snorts as Armin’s small fingers begin to twirl the ends of
Annie’s hair.
Eren rubs the thinning fabric of his used Henley between his thumb and
forefinger, ready to open his mouth when he hears footsteps from down the hall.
All four of them automatically turn their head to see Jean shifting nervously
from one bare foot to the other, clad in sweatpants that drag on the floor and
an equally large black hoodie. The sleeves cover his hands, but Eren can tell
that they are without the tattered fighting wraps, and Jean is clenching them
nervously.
That instinctive need to protect rises in him again as Jean’s eyes shift far
too quickly from person to person, and Eren knows he’s weighing the risks if he
needs to take them all on. He slowly rises to his feet, and Jean’s eyes jerk
over toward him, so he smiles to reassure him while he makes his way over. His
steps are deliberate, and at an even pace, while he offers a comforting smile
as Jean’s eyes stay rooted on him. Once he gets close enough, he cups the back
of Jean’s nape and strokes his fingers against the damp hair there until Jean’s
eyes close like a content kitten.
“It’s alright,” he murmurs, and lets Jean drop his forehead to his shoulder.
“You’re safe here.” Jean snorts, obviously embarrassed, and Eren can feel the
skin on his nape flushing, and shit this asshole keeps getting cuter. “Hey fuck
you, I’m trying to comfort you here!”
Jean lets out a little laugh, all of the tenseness leaving his body, and Eren
can’t help the grin that forms on his face in response. He lets him pull back,
and catches the flush on his ears, on his cheeks, and even on his neck, and
Eren clears his throat before looking away. “Jean this is Armin, Mikasa, and
Annie,” he states, pointing at each to distract himself and almost groans at
the odd looks each of them are throwing at him in turn.
Armin is the first to snap out of it, and he grins brightly at Jean. “It’s so
nice to meet you!” He states, still perched on Annie’s lap, but looking like
he’s ready to climb over the couch in his over eagerness.
Mikasa merely throws a polite nod, and moves to sit next to both Armin and
Annie, placing her arm around both of her lovers with ease. Annie casts a look,
and then glances away, but lets her body fall back into Mikasa in a show of
their mutual relationship. Armin snorts at this, used to the girls’ behavior
that borders on over possessive, and offers Jean another smile.
Jean smiles weakly, like he’s unused to doing so, and offers a wave in
greeting. Once again, he doesn’t talk, and Eren remembers Marco had mentioned
that Jean hasn’t in a long time. Eren can’t help wondering what his voice would
sound like. He’s leaning more toward low, stubborn, and a touch on the
constantly annoyed side. He stops his train of thought before he gets even
creepier, and instead reaches out to tug Jean by his wrist to the kitchenette.
“Ignore them, they’re the weirdest people,” he fake-whispers to Jean, and grins
when Jean makes an equally fake shocked expression. “Don’t look at them,
they’ll take your soul,” he stated dramatically, letting go the fabric of
Jean’s sweatshirt, and turning back to Jean with a wiggle of his eyebrows.
“Stop poisoning him!” Armin shouts from the couch, now laying across his
girlfriends’ lap and kicking the arm of the sofa. It falls to the floor with a
sudden clutter, which is followed by a muffled ‘shit’ from Armin, and then Jean
bursts out into a peal of raspy laughter that ends up turning into a series of
harsh coughs. From the corner of his eye, Eren can see Annie and Mikasa jerk in
worry despite themselves. He knew they couldn’t resist the cuteness of Jean,
and Jean’s rough coughs only ups their sentiment.
Eren just smiles to himself and rubs his fingers over Jean’s knuckles when the
other manages to calm himself down to a slight wheeze. “Let’s get you something
to eat,” he murmurs and Jean nods in reply.
                                      ---
After Jean eats almost Eren’s entire box of cinnamon toast crunch, which Eren
allowed with only minimal grumbling, Eren leads him to one of the spare bunks
to sleep.  Jean had been swaying on the counter, falling asleep, and Eren had
been worried that he was going to fall face forward into the cement floor. Eren
makes sure he’s comfortable, and offers to hang the hoodie on the back of the
door, but Jean just grumbles and curls deeper into the thick duvet with the
hood pulled halfway over his face. Seconds later, he’s completely passed out,
and Eren can’t help but be amazed.
Before leaving, Eren touches the back of his hand to Jean’s forehead, feeling
the presence of a light fever, and sighs faintly. Hopefully by tomorrow, it
will be broken and Jean will be closer to better health. From his limited
medical knowledge, which he had scrounged from his asshole father, Jean seems
to have a mild case of bronchitis.
Quietly closing the door behind him, he heads back to the common area where
Armin is waiting for him. He knows Armin has been bursting to get answers since
they were interrupted by Jean’s entrance, and Eren was surprised he had been
able to wait so long. He holds up a finger, grabs himself a bottle of water,
and takes up Jean’s previous position on the kitchenette counter.
“So he doesn’t talk, seems to be sick, and is nervous around people?” Armin
phrases it like a question even though he has observed all of these things.
Armin is like that though, and Eren think he does it sometimes out of some odd
sense of politeness, like he’s ashamed of being smarter then a lot of them.
Eren doesn’t like that characteristic of him, but doesn’t try to question it
either because he has a feeling it has something to do with Armin’s past. Armin
rarely speaks about his past even after years of close friendship, and Eren
can’t fault him for that; he doesn’t talk about his past much either.
Taking a quick sip to gather his thoughts together, Eren pauses to reach out
and adjust some messy strands of Armin’s hair. He glances around and notices
that both Annie and Mikasa must be elsewhere to give them time to talk; they
know Armin will fill them in later whether they want to know or not. “I think
he can talk, but doesn’t,” Eren begins, twisting and untwisting the cap of his
water bottle to keep himself busy. “I think it might be trauma related, but he
seems to know some sign language, but not enough. His fingers seem clumsy when
he tries to do certain signs.”
Armin hums, gazing briefly at the tall ceiling to regain his thoughts, and then
gazing back at Eren. “He probably doesn’t have a lot of experience with it
then, the loss of his voice must be recent,” he proclaims and then toes the
ground with his sock clad foot. “I can help him with sign language, my
grandfather used to be deaf,” he whispers it and Eren treasures his ability to
share this secret out loud, how he wants to dig up piece of his past to help a
complete stranger.
“Thank you,” Eren whispers, equally as soft so that he doesn’t break the
moment. Armin keeps his head slightly bowed, lost in unearthed memories, and
Eren bites his lower lip guiltily. “Look Armin,” he begins, but stops when the
younger boy snaps his head up, and gives him a hard look.
“I wouldn’t offer if I couldn’t do it,” Armin protests, just loud enough that
both Annie and Mikasa peek their heads around the corner of the office until
Armin shoos them off. “Sorry, I just…”
Eren just nods to show his understanding and takes a long gulp out of his water
bottle. “I know, you hate when people try to baby you,” he supplies and then
takes a moment to tug his left leg over his right to get more comfortable.
Armin smiles at him, and he returns it while playing with the tattered ends of
his flannel pajama pants.
“Was there anything else?” Armin questions.
“I think he used to a fighter of some type, boxer or martial artist, I’m not
really sure, but maybe ask Annie if she’d fight with him? I think the psychical
activity could be good for him, it would also be a good bonding experience for
him.” Eren also thinks that if Jean can get closer to those around him then
they’ll have a better chance of him staying. Letting him back on the streets,
with all the formed gangs and no support, would be a fate worse then death.
Armin seems to pick up on this, and nods. “I’m sure she won’t mind, but I’ll
have her get back to you on that.” With that he lets out a content sigh, less
worried now that he knows Jean is all right. Armin is the type of person to
take on other people’s responsibilities and Marco had unceremoniously dumped
Jean on his small shoulders. Eren is about to voice his respect for that aspect
of his friend’s personality when Armin’s expression turns mischievous, and Eren
groans out loud.
“No, no, no!” He shouts, launching himself off the counter before Armin can
open his mouth. “Don’t even do it!”
Armin giggles, cheeks flushing with pleasure at the sight of a flustered Eren.
It’s been a rare sight lately, and Eren knows that all of them enjoy it. “It’s
just cute to see you with a crush is all,” he states as innocently as possible
and Eren bristles like a cat, hissing through his teeth. “Look at that cute
little face,” Armin coos, and Eren gets even more flustered when he hears
laughter from the office.
“All of you are heathens!” He shouts dramatically, and storms toward where Jean
is asleep to collapse as well. He almost turns around when he hears Mikasa ask,
“Does he even know what heathens mean?” but instead speeds up to avoid
replying.
“Idiots,” he mutters fondly and moves to stand next to Jean’s bunk. The youth
is snoring airily, duvet kicked to the end of the bed, and hoodie plus t-shirt
scrunched up to show the contrast of pale stomach and the darkness of his happy
trail. Eren flushes, and averts his gaze from the flatness of his abdomen and
then moves to tug the duvet back into place. “Sleeps like a little kid,” he
mutters and then crawls into the bed across from Jean’s. His usual bed is the
one on top of Jean’s, but it doesn’t feel right to keep the kid out of his line
of sight especially when he’s sick.
Tugging the blanket over his shoulders, he pillows his arms underneath his head
and angles his body in Jean’s direction. He tells himself he always sleeps on
his right side, that he wouldn’t feel more comfortable if he was shoved against
the wall, and manages to fall asleep before he can think up his third denial.
***** Chapter 3 *****
Chapter Notes
     I just want to thank everyone for being so sweet and supportive! I
     was very nervous at first about writing fanfiction after such a long
     time away, but all of you guys have been so lovely! Whether you have
     left kudos, silently glanced over the story, or left a review, I just
     want you all to know I appreciate you so much!
     I’m sorry for all the exclamation points, I’m just so touched. :3
     This chapter is kind of more Jean bonding with Armin and Mikasa, but
     I’ll get him to bond with Annie and put in more Eren/Jean scenes in
     next time too. I hope no one minds this.
“Your_father_and_I_don’t_love_each_other_anymore,” his mother announces to him,
voice as even as when she tells him to eat the crust on his bread. He takes a
few minutes to process it, confused why she’s telling him such horrible news in
their shared secret language, which is only meant for beautiful things; he’s
even more confused by the fact that people can simply stop loving each other.  
His mother lets him roll this around in his head, small legs slicing through
the humid air as they sit outside their rundown house on their equally rundown
porch. His father is at the neighbor’s, watching American football, and their
shared screams sail across the shimmery asphalt and into his ears. He’s merely
five, and he feels like this is too much for his mind to handle even though his
parents tell him he is much smarter then other children his age. He turns to
face her, and feels disturbed when her expression remains stoic.  
“Are you getting a divorce?” He questions, using English instead of French on
purpose, and gets a little flustered when he stutters over the word divorce.
“Who will I live with?” He hopes that whomever he lives with gets a nice new
house; he really hates their current house. The windows make a whistling noise
whenever a wind blows through, the linoleum is peeling up, and his room is the
size of a closet; those are just a few of the problems he has with it.   
“Don’t be stupid, Jean,” she sighs out and taps a random beat on the side of
the splintered doorframe. “Your father and I don’t have enough money for that;
divorces along with houses cost a lot,” and a bitter smile suddenly forms on
her face.
That smile haunts him again twelve years later; it mirrors the one that curls
over her lips when he announces that he is in love with another boy. She never
says anything to him as his father shouts to the heavens like it could take
back his gay son and give him a better one, but he still hears her voice so
clearly in his head when their eyes meet. “Your_father_and_I_don’t_love_you
anymore,” it whispers in their shared secret language, voice as even as when
she tells him not to break curfew, and that is the moment that Jean’s throat
closes up involuntarily.
                                     --- 
Jean wakes up with a gasp that feels shaky around the edges, much like his own
mind as he comes out of a memory turned nightmare. He feels suffocated,
overheated, and muggy, and hastily kicks off the blankets and then decides to
also rip the hoodie over his head. The room is quiet, aside from the soft, even
breathing of the four others, relieved that he hasn’t woken anyone up. He can
make out each bed, thanks to the light coming in from the hall, the door left
half way open, and sees that Annie, Mikasa, and Armin have pushed two beds
together. They are wrapped around each other like a pile of puppies, content
while Eren lays in the bed across from him, a hand underneath his head and one
of his legs reaching out into the aisle.
He scrubs his hands over his face, trying to get the tightness underneath his
skin to dissipate. Before he can pull his hands away, he feels the end of the
bed bend under a sudden weight. It shocks him because he hadn’t heard any
movement, and when he jerks his gaze up, he’s even more shocked to meet
Mikasa’s unwavering gaze.
She’s hard to read, but there isn’t coldness in her eyes, and Jean can’t help
the way his eyes water at her presence. He’s not the type to cry, hasn’t since
who knows when, but the way she looks at him causes him to let out a small,
helpless sob. Mikasa lets her hand hover over his covered knee as a sign of
support, not wanting to invade his space or intrude on his break down, but he
just cries a little louder, and she scoots over, frantic to comfort in any
way. 
Her hand moves to touch the back of his neck, but pulls away when he flinches
violently. Instead, he feels her watching him as he curls up close to her body
to leech off her warmth, but far enough away that he isn’t brushing up against
her. One of his hands is covering his face, keeping Mikasa out of his sight, or
maybe keeping her from seeing the mess that he is.  Either way, she remains
until his cries fade into wheezing breaths, not even shifting an inch.
“You’re okay now,” Mikasa whispers into the air, and Jean nods his sticky face
against the comforter, too tired to move or even be embarrassed. He feels, as
cliché as it is, much lighter now that he’s released some of his stress even if
his head is pounding. “Can you go back to sleep?” 
Jean motions to his face and head, hoping she understands that he can’t without
washing up and drinking some water, but Mikasa is so observant that she catches
on easily. She slides away from him, making sure not to move too fast and
startle him, and motions for him to lie still. She comes back a few moments
later, as silently as she disappeared, with a wet cloth in one hand and a water
bottle in the other. 
He props himself up just as she sits on the edge of the bed, not wanting to be
mothered anymore, but gives her a smile that he hopes speaks of his levels of
gratitude. It probably just comes off as awkward and embarrassed, because he’s
feeling that as well, but Mikasa just gives a solemn nod and moves to back to
her shared bed. Jean’s kind of amazed at how she can read a situation and react
to it so well, but maybe he’s more obvious then he thought. 
He wipes his face, taking care not to irritate the skin of his puffy eyes, and
then takes slow sips from the water bottle. He’s just about to attempt sleep
again, when he feels a gaze on him, and jerks his head around only to meet
Eren’s eyes in the semi-darkness. His breathing hitches, and he feels goose
bumps begin to form on his bare arms, but he can’t seem to even move as Eren
continues to examine him.
Eren takes care of it for him though, and kicks off his blankets before moving
to sit on Jean’s bed. The back of his hand tests the temperature of his
forehead, and Jean reaches up to push his wrist away, but before he can, Eren
moves his hand down to cup his cheek. “Are you okay?” He whispers into the air
between them, and Jean nods shyly.
Jean feels so vulnerable, this is the third time that Eren has caught him being
weak, and yet the other doesn’t seem to judge him. In fact, none of them do,
and it makes his heart clench because he feels he doesn’t deserve these
selfless people, feels he’s not good enough for them.
“Stop it,” Eren commands, voice rough with more then just sleep. He tilts
Jean’s head up, warm fingertips curled underneath his chin. “You’re going to
hurt your head with those dark, heavy thoughts asshole,” he states, and Jean
laughs in response. “There we go,” Eren soothes, and then turns to situate the
pillows behind him.
Jean watches, until Eren suddenly tugs him down, and Jean squawks as he lands.
His position is awkward, legs straddling either side of Eren’s lap with his ass
pushing out, and his face squashed into Eren’s collarbone. He pulls back, and
sneers at Eren, only for the other to snort and tug Jean into a laying position
that is half on him. 
“You’re so fucking bony,” Eren complains and Jean stabs him with his elbow in
the shorter male’s ribs. Eren swats his shoulder, and wriggles around to get
them more comfortable before tugging the blankets over them. Jean ends up with
his legs tangled with Eren’s, and his head on his chest. He expects it to be
odd, to be laying with a human after wincing away from everyone else for so
long, but instead he melts against him. He can’t pinpoint why Eren is the only
one to make him relax, but he just nuzzles into the softness of his t-shirt and
falls asleep, far too tired to figure it out.
                                      ---
Jean wakes up with the room empty, and his body just about to fall off the
mattress. He rubs at his eyes, trying to remove any sleep dust, and notices
some folded clothing on the bed across from him. He slips off the bed, and
changes into the white tank top, denim button up that fits a little tight
across the shoulders, and a black pair of jeans that have holes on both knees.
Without a brush or comb in sight, he scrubs his fingers through his hair to get
it into some sort of order. He leaves his feet bare, and begins to walk toward
the open area to check if anyone is around. 
His eyes immediately land on Armin’s flaxen locks, and he smiles in greeting.
Armin is perched on the unbroken arm of the couch, one of his legs pulled to
his chest, and the other left dangling with his clothed toes almost touching
the cement floor. He’s wearing a teal sweater with a collared shirt underneath
plus a pair of blue jeans. Armin jumps up at the sight of him, and flashes a
smile so genuine and sweet that Jean has to avert his eyes. 
“Eren, Misaka, and Annie are at work so it’s just going to be you and I today!”
Armin exclaims, moving to the kitchenette and digging out a plate from the
microwave. It has a sloppily made egg and ham sandwich on it, and Armin reaches
into the fridge to put an array of fresh fruit on it. “This is for you, don’t
worry Annie made it and she’s actually very talented with cooking.”
Jean takes it with a perfunctory nod, not awake enough to process much, and
lets Armin guide him toward the small office in the front. There is a desk of
sort jammed into the back corner, so Jean sits on the mismatched chair and lets
out a nervous snort when it squeaks underneath his weight. Armin turns on the
small television to a random news network, and turns away to let Jean eat in
private, which he’s thankful for. His mother had always been the type to hover
when he was eating, and it had turned him into a person who hated being watched
when dining.
He finishes fast, not wanting to make Armin wait on him, and moves to sit by
him on the navy and white striped love seat. It almost looks brand new, and he
can’t help running his palm down the silky fabric. When he’s finished, he turns
to see Armin watching with a gentle shimmer in his eyes, and Jean feels warmth
spread through him that he couldn’t quite identify. He clumsily signs: “thank
you” and hopes that Armin understands it’s for more then just the food.
Armin smiles, and signs back with much more ease then Jean can: “you’re
welcome.” Jean blinks, surprised, and Armin laughs very lightly. “Do you want
me to teach you sign language?” Armin is gentle about the request, like he
doesn’t want to offend Jean, and Jean nods eagerly as not to disappoint him.
                                      ---
Armin turns out to be a passionate teacher that pushes Jean even when he wants
to throw himself on the floor and give up. Jean is usually the type to catch on
quick, but his fingers don’t seem want to cooperate with him most of the time.
His stomach growls just as the heavy front door opens, and he rushes off to see
whom it is before Armin dismisses him.
Jean can’t help grinning when he sees Eren in the doorway, his hair dusted with
snow from outside. Eren chuckles at the sight of him, and unwinds the scarf
from around his neck before throwing it right in Jean’s face. “Are you causing
trouble?” He questions, and Jean throws the scarf on the ground to give him a
nasty glare in reply. “I guess that’s a no,” Eren murmurs and takes off his
leather jacket to reveal a shockingly orange band t-shirt that even seems to
clash with his jeans. 
“That shirt is fucking ugly,” he signs and can feel his nose scrunched up in
disgust. Armin’s laugh from behind him causes him to turn around, and he grins
at him as innocently as possible. 
“What did he say?” Eren questions, his voice a touch higher as if panicked that
Jean is talking shit, which of course – he is. Eren comes up behind him and
slings his arm around his waist, tugging him against him. “You little shit,” he
says as both Jean and Armin burst into laughter, though Jean stops to let out a
few coughs. He feels both Eren and Armin’s eyes on him in concern, but he waves
his hands in annoyance to make them stop.
“Anyways, he said your shirt is fucking ugly, and I completely agree,” Armin
says, and runs off before Eren can do anything to him, disappearing into the
communal bathroom. 
Jean lets out a whoosh of air as both Eren’s hands slide over his ribs, and he
can feel himself starting to blush from the somewhat intimate contact. Before
he can crane his head, and figure out what the fuck Eren is doing, Eren’s
fingers start to dig into his ribs and cause him to jerk away. The feeling
isn’t ticklish, but an almost nervous spark that makes his heart to pound
wildly, he doesn’t know if it’s because in boxing you’re supposed to protect
your ribs or because Eren’s fingers feel hot even through two layers of
clothing. 
Eren watches him, a little furrow between his brows as he tries to figure out
if Jean is offended or not. Apparently, Eren finds what he needs, and cuffs the
side of his head with his knuckles. Fuck, how is this asshole so cool?
Jean sticks his tongue out at him, and moves to the kitchen to scrounge up a
late lunch. Eren soon follows, purposely bumping him as he moves around the
small area, and steals Jean’s sandwich for a quick bite when he’s done making
it. Jean elbows him to get him to stop, stealing it back and taking a large
bite out of it to show Eren that it belongs to him.
Eren only blinks at him, a faint blush rising on his cheeks, barely seen thanks
to the darker shade of his skins. Jean stops mid-chew, wondering what the cause
of it is, and cocks his head to the side. The bread starts to get soggy in his
mouth though, so he keeps chewing and then swallows while Eren’s brain takes
the few seconds to restart.
“Glad to see you’re back to being your shitty self,” Eren offers instead of an
explanation for his odd behavior, and Jean decides to let it slide. Even
though, he feels more comfortable around Eren then anyone else, he doesn’t feel
close enough to push him for answers, so he offers an exaggerated sneer
instead.
“Tomorrow you’re coming to work with me, Levi says he has a position open for
you,” Eren says and Jean feels anxiety rise in him, even though he knows the
least he can do is earn some cash to help out. Who is this Levi? What does he
have to do? Eren must sense his rising panic because he steps forward and plays
with the hair at his nape.
“Levi owns a book store, and I’m going to assume he just wants you to stock and
maybe smile occasionally. You’ll stun the little old ladies, and school girls
alike,” Eren says. Jean snorts and shakes his head to contradict him, but Eren
just pinches the back of his neck to stop him. Jean yelps, and glares up at
him, but Eren doesn’t look apologetic or amused. “We’ll have to get your hair
fixed up first, I’m sure Krista can slot us in, our shift isn’t until noon.”
Jean can’t help the pleased smile that comes over his lips at the thought of
his hair being fixed up, and Eren rolls his eyes when he catches sight of it.
“Having your hair fucked up for so long must have been really pissing you off,
huh?” Jean shoves him out of the way, and moves away to finish up his
sandwich. 
He can’t help the grateful tears that suddenly prick at his eyes, but makes
sure that no one sees them as he paces around, eating the sandwich a little
quicker then he normally would. It helps him to keep the tears at bay even if
he still feels like crying when he’s devoured it. So when he’s finished, he
scrubs his face to get rid of the crumbs, along with discretely rubbing at his
eyes. He waits a few extra seconds, and turns his thoughts to his new haircut
instead. When he turns around, Eren is watching, but just offers a gentle
smile, and Jean feels like he could stay here indefinitely with these kind
people around him.
***** Chapter 4 *****
Chapter Notes
     I was having such a hard time writing this chapter, probably because
     I was trying to plan it too much probably. Like I was trying to plan
     out a kiss scene, and I realized there is NO way that Jean is ready
     for that yet, and Eren would not take advantage of that. I guess I
     just want to say, I am dying to write a kiss scene, but my mind won’t
     let me until the moment is right. :(
     I’m trying to keep this story on an update schedule of every Friday,
     but next week might be a little late since I’m going on a trip. I’ll
     try to avoid this though!
     P.S. this chapter was going to be longer, but I wanted to write
     meeting Levi in Jean’s POV so it’s a bit shorter then usual.
Eren’s internal clock wakes him up at exactly 7:45, and he rolls over to see
Jean curled underneath the covers with only a tuft of hair in sight. He smiles
to himself, and then rolls to get out of bed and gather a new set of clothes.
Mikasa, Armin, and Annie’s bed has already been made, and he glances around the
corner to see if any of them are around. He hears the television on in the
small office, but can’t see anyone since the blinds are closed. He decides to
take a shower instead of checking in, and by the time he’s finished and
dressed, he comes out and is surprised to see Annie making French toast along
with bacon.
“Didn’t have work today?” He towel dries his hair and leans his jean-clad hip
against the side of the wall, watching her. Annie works at Petra’s Bakery as
one of the bakers, and so she usually has to wake up at around 5 AM to get to
work on time. Today, she’s still in her pajamas, and looking content to cook
over their portable burners.
“No, Petra had one of her insomnia fits and finished everything.” Eren can’t
tell if she was joking or not, since her humor is so subtle, so he just takes
the plate that is handed to him. Annie pauses, looking for Jean, but puts his
plate of food into the microwave when she realizes he’s still sleeping. This
little act of kindness causes Eren to turn around so she can’t see the smile
spreading across his lips.
They both move into the small office and begin to chow down. It’s quiet as
usual, but when Annie finishes she turns to look at him instead of leaving with
her empty dish. Eren looks up at her after finishing his last piece of bacon.
She’s watching him and takes the dish from him, but just puts them on the
floor. She turns to face him while situating herself into a cross-legged
position.
“Look,” she begins, voice gruff and embarrassed, “I’ve seen kids like Jean, and
you have to be careful. He’s shielded himself for so long that now he’s getting
attached to you and on top of that; he’s touch starved, so you shouldn’t feed
it if you’re not serious.” Eren finds it amusing how fast Annie has gotten
protective of Jean, but listens anyways because her concerns are valid. “It’s
just you’ve never had a serious relationship, you get a crush and get over it
quickly, so be careful because I think Jean is falling for you,” she breaks it
off, looking back toward the kitchen as she hears footsteps.
Jean is moving into the kitchen, his shirt hitched up as he scratches at his
chest. His eyes are closed as he sways from foot to foot, still half asleep.
Annie motions for him to get Jean, and Eren flashes her a grateful smile,
taking the dishes from her hands and sneaking up on the younger boy.  He
decides that he needs to be taught a lesson for showing off his attractive yet
scrawny body, and grins when he looks down at the fork on his plate.
Jean makes a small squeak when Eren rubs a dirty fork on his side, and nearly
falls down, but Eren catches him by the elbow. “You’re so stupid when you just
wake up,” he says and can’t help feeling smitten. Jean glares, notices the
dirty fork in his hand, and then squeals in disgust. Eren can’t help laughing
hysterically as Jean rubs the stickiness of the syrup from his ribs.
He stops when Jean elbows him for the third time, and rubs his soon to be
bruised left side. “Look Annie left you some in the microwave heat it up, take
a quick shower, and then we have to your hairdresser appointment,” he says, and
shakes his head as Jean does a weird dance as he almost trips over his too long
pajama pants.
                                     --- 
Eren winds his scarf around his neck, and then slides on his buttery leather
gloves. He turns toward Jean, and reaches up to straighten the beanie on his
head, and checks to make sure he also has on his borrowed gloves and scarf. He
pulls back, and notices the light dusting of pink over Jean’s cheek and chokes
at the picture of cuteness that he makes, especially when wearing one of Eren’s
favorite t-shirts. “Come on you idiot,” he says gruffly and drags him outside
to his beat up Honda motorcycle.
Jean tugs back, and Eren turns around to see he’s got a nervous look on his
face. “Don’t worry, the bike is fine. Armin has been helping me fix it up and
that kid is pretty much a genius,” he says, and that seems to reassure him well
enough. He hands him the extra helmet, straps his own on, and climbs on to
start up the engine. Jean gets behind him a few seconds later, limbs shaky from
nerves, and Eren can’t help the smile that tugs at his lips. He reaches back to
grab both of his arms, and clamp them around his waist, and Jean collapses
against his back as soon as he revs the engine.
“Fucking adorable,” he mutters beneath his breath, and Jean makes an
inquisitive noise, having felt the vibrations, but he kicks away the stand to
distract him. Jean reacts just as expected, gripping tightly and hiding his
face in his shoulder. He can feel his own cheeks flushing from more then just
the cold.
It takes them 20 minutes before he’s parked in front of the salon that Krista
works at. When he shuts off the engine, Jean jumps off and throws his helmet on
the back of the bike. He has a more pronounced pout to his lips then usual, and
Eren chuckles at the sight of it.
“Stop pouting you dick,” he says as he takes Jean’s hand, his actions
reflecting his true nature. He drags him across the doorway, and into the cozy
deco of Squeaky Clean salon. Eren had been trying to get them to change the
name forever, but could never come with a better name off the top of his head.
It also didn’t help that Mike likes it when people groan at the corny name.
“Eren!” Krista calls, and runs at them with a smile so wide on her face that
Eren can practically see sparkles dancing around her. He glances at Jean, and
he’s blinking rapidly like he has just been blinded by her brilliance. “Is this
Jean?” She asks when she comes to stop in front of them, and motions Jean to
bend down. He obeys as soon as the shock wears off, and Krista takes the beanie
off his head to inspect his hair. “Okay so let’s dye this part, I have a color
chart you can chose from, and we’ll trim the ends and reshape the back?"
Jean nods, and Krista hums, leading him toward her station. Jean shoots him a
backward glance, like a nervous puppy, and Eren can’t help following them. He
throws himself on the empty chair that belongs to one of the other
hairdresser’s and watches as Krista flutters around, getting ready to start on
Jean’s hair. Jean puts on the cape when she throws it at him, and Eren laughs
as Jean’s nose scrunches up at the cheetah print.
“Not a fan?” Eren asks, and Jean shakes his head firmly. Eren just shakes his
head, digs out one of the celebrity rag magazines on the station in front of
him, and flips through the pages. He begins to zone out right as Krista brings
a book full of hair shades for Jean to pick for his hair, and rubs his thumb
over the corner of the magazine.
Eren realizes that this half-way communication he’s doing with Jean isn’t going
to work out for too long especially because he wants to learn more about him.
He doesn’t want to intrude on Jean and Armin’s bonding time though, since they
seem to be getting closer. That left him two options: to intrude on Mikasa’s
and Annie’s Armin time or to book learn it. Neither of them seemed particularly
great options, but one of them involved less anger from two of the most
terrifying women he’s ever met.
He jerks out of his thoughts when a large hand lands on his shoulder, and
glances up to see that Krista has led Jean off to the dryer station, and that
Mike is standing directly behind him. “Hey Mike,” he says and turns the chair
around to face him without having to stand up.
Mike inclines his head in greeting, before pointing in the direction of Jean
with a curious look on his face. “That the kid that hangs around the Piggly
Wiggly? The one that always smells like cloves.” Eren can’t fight the weirded
out look that crosses over his face even though he should be used to Mike’s
habit of smelling anyone.
“Yeah he used to hang out there with that freckled fucker, Marco,” Eren
replies. It’s weird, Eren never had a problem with Marco before, but just the
fact that anyone would do anything to hurt Jean puts him on edge. “He’s staying
with us now, Levi is letting him work for him, and it’s going to be his first
day so I wanted to make sure his hair didn’t look like shit.”
Mike is giving him a knowing look, and Eren squirms around in the seat, as he
gradually gets more and more uncomfortable. “You can stop now,” Eren says, a
little louder then considered polite, and shrinks as Krista and, even Jean
underneath the blower, shoot him a look of concern. “You’re creeping me out,
you enjoy doing that don’t you?”
Mike looks amused, and shrugs his shoulders. “Working my way up to the number
one creep of Trost, it’s time for me to take Hanji’s title,” he says with a dry
tone, and then turns to leave Eren to stew over Mike and his weird ways.
                                      ---
Somehow, Eren ends up nodding off, and is awoken by Krista’s excited squeal. He
opens his eyes to see her doing a little jig around her chair, and he yawns to
get rid of the last remains of sleep. When he turns around, he sees Jean’s new
hair and his spine goes ramrod straight. Jean’s hair has a gorgeous contrast of
blonde and black along with it being parted to one side that to show off his
undercut. Not only is the hair cut incredibly attractive on Jean, but also so
is the new confidence that it instills in him. Jean is holding his chin higher,
and his shoulders aren’t raised high enough that they brush his earlobes. For
the first time, Eren finally realizes that Jean is taller then him, and instead
of feeling offended, feels a twisted coil of heat in his lower stomach.
Jean notices him watching and gives him a smirk that borders on smug, tilting
his chin higher like he’s preening from the ogling – not that Eren will admit
to ogling him. “Your hair is significantly less shitty,” Eren acknowledges and
Jean gives him a subdued smile that is still full of sweetness, which makes
Eren feel hot underneath the collar. This kid is not good for his health.
Krista giggles in the background, and Eren shoots her a look a step below a
glare. No one glares at Krista, it’s against the law, and he also doesn’t want
Ymir sneaking up on him in a back alley. “You are adorable,” she coos, and
rushes off to write the check before either of them can object verbally or
otherwise.
Jean is adjusting his black gauges and not looking Eren in the eye, and Eren
rights the situation by clamping his hand on his shoulder. “It’s almost twelve
so we have to go for our shift,” he says and makes his way to the front desk,
dropping down the appropriate amount of cash including a nice tip for Krista
even if she had teased the both of them. Jean makes a protesting noise, and
Eren just shoots him a look that shuts him up. He wants to treat Jean, and he
doesn’t know how long he’ll have Jean around so he plans to do it as much as
possible.  
“Come back in again soon, okay? Also call me soon so we can all hang out!”
Krista calls to their backs as they leave, and Jean nods furiously, trying hard
not to offend her. Eren just waves without turning around and leads Jean to the
motorcycle again. The bookstore is only two streets over, but he’ll get a
ticket if he leaves his bike out front, and it’s also rather fun to have Jean
clinging to his back even when he’s only going 30.
“It’s almost 12, so we’ll stop at work. First rule, never be late because Levi
will kill you with his eyes,” he says as he climbs onto the bike. “Second rule,
don’t make a mess because Levi will kill you with his eyes.” He straps his
helmet on, and looks over his shoulder at Jean on the sidewalk. “You’re lucky
you came around after Erwin and him started dating because before he would
throw the last Harry Potter book at your head, and that shit hurt.”
Jean’s eyes crackle as he grins in amusement, before he straps on his helmet as
well and wraps his arms tightly around Eren’s waist. “If you follow those two
rules, you should be fine.” With that, he revs the engine of the bike and sets
off around the corner to the Wings of Freedom bookstore.
***** Chapter 5 *****
Chapter Notes
     I’m sorry for the late update, I’ll try and make sure it doesn’t
     happen again!
     Wow five chapters feels like such an accomplishment. I really didn’t
     even know if I should post this in the first place, but here we are!
     The note below is just me rambling about Jean so you can skip it!
     A little introspection on Jean in this story: he’s the type of
     character that, so far, has settled. Like with his parents, they
     obviously didn’t treat him well and were divorced, but he figured he
     was better off then other kids who parents never got to see their
     parents and didn’t complain. So with the rare praise his parents gave
     him, he dubbed himself as their golden boy since they never were as
     bad as they could be? And because of this attitude with his parents,
     he also settled with his relationship with Marco, which wasn’t
     healthy either – but in a different way. I’ll hopefully explain this
     in later chapters, and no it’s not just going to be making Marco into
     a bad guy.
Jean has decided that he really hates motorcycles. He feels like his legs are
going to smash into something at any minute when he’s on them, the air rushing
past him makes him shiver, and it’d be so easy to fall off on those quick
turns. The only positive that he can think of is that, he gets to cling to
Eren. Jean is finding out that he enjoys Eren’s skin that is almost too warm
and the way Eren glances back at him whenever they stop, even if Eren is amused
by his cowardly behavior.
When they finally arrive at their destination, Jean stumbles of the back of the
bike before Eren can even throw up the kickstand. Scuffling his boots on the
ground, Jean’s fingers fumble with the strap of his helmet, and he shoves the
item onto Eren when he manages to take it off. Jean pauses though to watch him,
how Eren’s leather jacket is tight across his broad shoulders and the tempting
line of his tanned neck. Eren snaps him out of it by flicking him on the ear,
and Jean hisses at him from both the pain of being flicked and the
embarrassment of being caught staring.
Eren shoots him a cocky smirk, and motions for Jean to follow him into the
small bookstore. The outside makes it look quaint with the bay windows, and
wooden paneling. Jean finds himself immediately liking it, and that feeling
only increases when he steps over the ‘Be Quiet’ doormat. He pauses after
entering, and feels his shoulders relax at the comforting atmosphere. The
bookcases are all in rows, and made of dark wood, plus they are tall enough
that they block out your neighbor in the aisle next to you. On top of this,
there are various little nooks for hiding out and reading through out; the one
closest to him is a missing spot between bookcases with mismatched pillows
shoved in. Jean almost walks over toward it, but Eren’s hand falls on his wrist
and he drags him toward the left side of the store where the cash registers
are.
Behind the counter is a short male with an unpleasant expression who is
thumbing through a fashion magazine. He looks up when they stop in front of the
counter, and gives the both of them an unimpressed once over. He scratches
underneath the left sleeve of his rolled up oxford shirt, and drops the
magazine on the counter. “At least you shits bothered to show up on time,” he
sneers and steps out from behind the counter to motion to Eren. “Take over the
counter, I need to tell this unnaturally tall freak what to do so I can get to
lunch on time with Erwin.”
Jean feels gob smacked because Levi has such a commanding presence about him,
and he shoots one last nervous look at Eren before trailing behind the smaller
male. He can feel Eren’s gaze between his shoulder blades until Levi leads him
into the back room.
“Heard about your inability to speak, but I have tons of books that need to be
sorted and put away, so as long as you know the alphabet and can put stuff in
the correct genres; you’ll be fine.” Levi states everything in a manner so
straightforward that it borders on harsh, but Jean finds it more comforting
then scary. Levi points at a stock of books in the corner of the room near the
metal backdoor. There is also a mini fridge, a table big enough for four, and a
dimpled trashcan. The walls are a cinnamon color with crooked pieces of artwork
that he can’t place on them, and Jean wonders if they are from a local artist.
“By the way, do you happen to speak and/or read French?”
Jean turns back to look at him, and nods to show that he does indeed speak and
read French. He makes a motion for small, to show Levi that it had been his
first language, and Levi is quick to catch on.
“Is your mother Evangeline? You look a bit like her,” Levi almost looks a bit
cautious when he mentions it, which Jean imagines doesn’t fit him at all, so
Jean masks the way his heart twinges and nods. “She comes in occasionally, will
it be a problem?”
Jean snorts, and swallows thickly. He wishes it would be a problem, but he
knows that his mother would just ignore him. He shakes his head, and moves
toward the boxes to begin picking up a couple of books, not wanting to continue
this line of talking. He can feel his hands shaking, but he hopes if Levi does
notice that the other doesn’t comment.
“Anyways, there are some old books here that are purely in French so if you
want to borrow them, then that’s fine.” Jean can’t help smiling a bit at the
gruffness of Levi’s tone, and nods his head. “Just don’t fuck it up, I already
have more faith in you then that shitty brat in the front.”
Jean lets out a weak laugh, and watches the intimidating male saunter out of
the room and he collapses to the floor when the door shuts behind him. He rips
the beanie off his head, feeling too hot and a little weak, and he’s hoping
that no one comes in to find him like this. He stares at the analog clocks,
timing his breathing with the soft ticks of the second hands, and manages to
get his breathing under control before it even gets to sixty clicks. He rakes
his fingers through his hair, getting into a controllable chaos, and then takes
off his leather jacket and scarf to throw both on the aqua colored coat rack.
He takes a few more seconds to straighten out any imaginary wrinkles on his
burrowed shirt, and grabs a stack of books to begin his day. He doesn’t want
Eren getting worried and coming to check up on him after all, he worries Eren
enough.
He sneaks out, and notices that several people are brimming around, some of
them on their lunch break and looking for a retreat and others just random kids
that are either skipping class or college kids from the town over. Some of them
cast glances at him as well, and he directs his gaze to the floor to deter them
from speaking to him. Soon, he’s letting his thoughts drift as he cracks open
the box of books, and begins to organize them on the cart as Damien Rice plays
quietly in the background of the bookshop.
                                     --- 
“Jean!” A scream of his name breaks through the bookstore, and Jean jumps so
suddenly that the bookcase in front of him almost falls when he slams his head
into the side of it. He’s crouched low, making small noises that resemble
whimpers more then groans, when someone tries to tug him into a back hug. He
wriggles away, hissing like a cat, and turns around to glare at none other then
his old neighbor Sasha Braus. She still looks the same from when she was the
snotty brat who chased him around the block with a fake bow and arrow set. She
had lived on that crappy street until he turned thirteen, and her fourteen,
when her parents made some nice cash off selling their hunting shop. After
that, Sasha tried to keep their friendship together, but Jean’s mother told him
that it would be weird now that she was rich, and Jean had let her drift out to
people that he thought were better for her.
She pulls back, noticing his discomfort, but her smile remains megawatt, and
Jean offers her a light one in reply. Her hair is longer and pulled back into a
sleek ponytail with a blue bow, and her outfit consists of a jean skirt with
thick black leggings plus a white crew neck top and a black cardigan. He can’t
help but think of her as beautiful with her sweet façade, and is reminded of
the brief crush he had on her as a kid.
He moves from his crouched position, and notices a smaller male with buzzed
hair watching them from the corner of his eye. He’s got an oversized hoodie on
along with a ratty baseball cap and some jeans that have tears on the knees.
Jean can’t help feeling a bit protective of Sasha, so he mentions toward the
other male with a jerk of his head, not bothering to be subtle about it.
“Him? Oh that’s my boyfriend, Connie,” Sasha laughs and she seems to flush with
pleasure at Jean’s outward expression of concern. “You’re still the same,” she
says and Jean almost feels like he should be defensive, but he hears the clear
fondness in her tone.
Eren comes around the corner, steps quick, and concern on his features.  A
customer probably held him up, or Jean knew he would have ducked around as soon
as Sasha’s scream echoed through the quiet store. “Don’t crowd him,” Eren says
and steps between him and Sasha with an adorably screwed up expression. “He
doesn’t like it.”
Sasha snorts and crosses both of her arms underneath her breasts; annoyed that
Eren is speaking for him. “Look I think I know Jean a bit better then you,” she
says and makes a sour expression at Eren, ”and Jean hates when people speak for
him.” She puts an emphasis on the word hate, and looks at Jean so that he’ll
agree with her.
Instead, Jean gives her an awkward smile and makes a motion toward his throat.
Sasha only seems more troubled by this, and then her boyfriend is stepping in
front of her in a protective motion. Jean only feels uncomfortable, and
entwines his fingers with Eren, who is throwing a fiery glare at both Sasha and
Connie. When Eren turns his gaze toward him, Jean feels the tension in the room
lessen and Jean sighs with relief, brushing his nose against Eren’s temple as
he sags forward. Eren gently pats his shoulder, a promise that no violence or
screaming will occur, and Jean huffs in Eren’s mixed scent of pine and cinnamon
to calm him self.
“You really can’t talk?” Sasha’s question is tentative, and Jean steps back
from Eren to nod. “What happened Jean?” She looks so concerned that he feels
bad for stepping back in fear when she attempts to cup his face. Sadness fills
her gaze, and Connie steps forward with a low noise that is between anger and
understanding.
“Look Sasha, you ambushed the kid and he’s obviously not comfortable with it.
Why not leave him your e-mail or something and he can contact you,” Connie
says. His voice is smooth and he’s trying to keep any more feelings from
getting hurt or tempers from flaring, and Jean is really grateful for that.
“And I think you would do better off if me and green eyed freak over there
weren’t around to interrupt.” Eren snarls, and Connie only smirks as if he’s
amused to be proven right.
Sasha sighs, and nods. She doesn’t seem happy to be beating a retreat, she’s
always the type to resolve any issues ASAP, but she also doesn’t seem to want
to make him uncomfortable. Pulling a crumpled receipt from the pocket of her
cardigan, she smoothes it out and jots down an e-mail address along with her
cell phone number. Instead of holding it out to him, she extends her arm to
Eren, and nods once it’s taken from her fingers. “Just contact me ok? Or I’ll
come back here.” She tries to say it as a joke, but it comes out weak, and Jean
feels horrible for making her feel anything resembling sadness.
Connie leads her out, and Jean cranes his head to watch them go through the
glass door and out onto the streets of Trost. He feels awkward in his own body,
seeing someone who he never thought he would see again, and Eren’s gentle
fingers curl around his hand, and he lets the other lead him to the cash
register while still in a haze.
Eren waits, patient, until Jean gets out of his jumbled thoughts, and just rubs
his thumbs against the back of Jean’s knuckles to soothe him. Jean’s not quite
sure how long it takes, but when he comes back, he’s looking straight into the
encompassing green of Eren’s eyes. He must look apologetic because Eren’s eyes
narrow in that way that tells Jean to stop it, and Eren slides him a legal pad
and a sparkly purple pen.
Jean laughs at the pen, a short bark that is not quite right, and feels his
cheeks flood with embarrassment as soon as the sound reaches his ears. Eren
just squeezes his hand, and points to the legal pad. “If you want to tell me
then just write it out ok? Or at least doodle, it’s almost four and you put
most of the books away anyways so you can just keep me company behind here. You
deserve a break since we’ll be here for another three hours or so.” With that,
Eren begins to organize some of the random supplies that the bookstore carries,
all laid out on the shelves in front of and behind the cash register.
His fingers enfold the pen, and he lets the sparkles sink into his palm,
beginning to ponder how much he wants to divulge to Eren. He figures that the
best place to start would be Sasha, considering that Eren just met her, but a
deeper part of him wants to tell Eren everything about his past; to explain how
he ended up as a homeless teenager with so many issues. Jean knows that Eren
would understand it, maybe has heard similar stories before, but Jean also
doesn’t want to unload on Eren too fast because it’s only been about two days,
and he’s already relying on Eren too much.
So instead, Jean begins an intricate design of swirls and random sparkles to
compliment the prettiness of his pen. He pushes down his need to jot down the
story of any part of his life, because he knows that he won’t be able to stop
when he starts. Eren flutters behind him, and pauses to glance over his
shoulder. Jean can feel him let out a sigh, one that he knows is heavy with
disappointment, but he still continues to cover the page with doodles, adding
bows to distract himself further.
Jean is just too scared to share too much of himself, he doesn’t want to
frighten any more people out of his life, and he’s starting to think that Eren
is already more important then the others that have left him behind.
***** Chapter 6 *****
Chapter Notes
     Oh shit I just dived head first into Fairy Tail, and have been
     marathon-ing it this week. My friend tried to get me to read it when
     I was high school, which was forever ago, but I didn’t and now I have
     to catch up on so many episodes! I love everyone in that show though,
     but my love has cost me because I was so bad with writing this week.
     The only good thing is, I figured how I want the kiss scene to go
     when that comes up.~
     Also I was going to make this longer, and I was trying to add more to
     the ending, but I realized that WAS the perfect spot to end. :3
Eren had been studying for the better part of the day, sneaking peeks at the
American Sign Language book he had grabbed off the shelf of the Languages
section. Even when customers came in, he continued to practice his signing
while carrying on conversations with them, and ignored the weird looks they
threw at him. He was usually not the type that picked up things fast, but he
had always been the type of person that had excellent muscle memory, so Sign
Language was surprisingly easy for him. When he hears the shout of Jean’s name
though, he stumbles to hide the book and flusters around until he drops it into
a random drawer, jumps over the counter, and rushes to where he knows Jean is
stocking the shelves.
He sees a cute girl cornering Jean, and Eren’s blood pressure starts rising as
his protective instincts go into over drive.  His feet carry him over to Jean
without him even having to command them, and his mouth spouts off words that he
doesn’t even remember. His anger doesn’t abate until the girl leaves with her
boyfriend in tow. He just knows that he didn’t like either of them, how they
thought it was all right to be around Jean. He wouldn’t call it jealousy; he’s
not THAT petty after all. (He knows he was being a jealous bastard though).
Later, he feels bad about it especially when Jean flutters around and actively
avoids any type of contact with him.
At first, Eren thinks that Jean is annoyed that he had behaved in such a
fashion, but then Eren realizes that Jean’s reaction don’t stem from anger or
annoyance, or at least that anger and annoyance isn’t directed at him. He
realizes that Jean is trying to close himself off from Eren, and that causes
Eren’s heart to clench because he can’t pinpoint exactly why Jean would do
that. He does know that he needs to confront him though, and waits until Levi
comes and kicks them out of the shop. He doesn’t need anyone walking in on
them, and interrupting Jean’s need to express himself, so he waits until they
get home.
                                      ---
When they get back to the warehouse, Jean moves inside at a quick pace and
without any kind of explanation. Eren frowns and stumbles after him, bypassing
the curious gazes of Armin, Annie, and Mikasa. He holds his hand up in a sign
to them, showing that he needs privacy with Jean, and then hears them close the
door to the small office. Later, they’ll all corner him for information, but
his mind is focused only on Jean.  
Jean disappears into the bathroom, and Eren pauses, thinking about waiting for
him to come out, but his thoughts urge him forward. He’s always been the type
of guy that acts on his impulses and deals with the consequences later on, and
he can’t let this issue lay anymore. When he pushes open the door, Jean is
standing with his shirt hanging on his arms, chest bare and his pants
unbuttoned to reveal a peek of his boxers. Eren can’t help noticing the flush
that spreads over his cheekbones, but he storms forward and pushes on Jean’s
chest until the other’s back is against the wall. It’s a natural reaction for
him, but it’s a tad on the aggressive side and he takes a step back when Jean
flinches.
“Don’t you dare pull away from me Jean,” he demands and watches Jean’s eyes
flicker about the room, looking for any way to avoid those words. “Don’t you do
that to me,” he repeats, and frowns when his voice cracks from the emotional
confession. Jean’s eyes finally return to him, and he purses his plush lips in
concern.
Eren continues to watch him, and Jean entangles his hands from the sleeves of
shirt, and lets the item fall to the floor. Eren’s gaze drifts over the
slenderness of his wrists, travels up the slight muscle on his arms, and is
distracted by the starkness of Jean’s ribs pressing against his pale skin. He
reminds himself that Jean still needs to gain more weight, that he needs to ask
Annie to bring back pastries from her job, before Jean interrupts him by waving
his hand across Eren’s face.
“I’m fucked up.” It takes a few seconds for Eren to place the signs, and he
knows his face is twisting up into an unpleasant expression. “I am, Eren, I’m
fucked up.” Eren can’t help the snarl that rumbles up from deep within him, and
glares at the pitiful look on Jean’s face.
Both of his hands reach up, gentle and soothing, unlike the noise he had
previously released. “Jean,” he begins and watches as those doe-like brown eyes
lock on his, “you are not fucked up.” He puts all his conviction in it, and he
knows that it might take Jean a while to take the words to heart, but Eren will
repeat them for as long as he needs him too. “You’re a little broken, we all
are here, but you don’t need to pull away from us, from me.” He lowers his
voice and steps closer, feeling the warmth of Jean’s skin.
Jean’s eyes shutter, and his breath hitches, which makes Eren realize that the
other is expecting a kiss, and Eren aches with need to give Jean everything he
wants, especially something as sweet as a kiss. Somehow though, he stops
himself, but allows his hand to lips to brush underneath the softness of his
earlobe, a poor substitute for the real thing. He can’t give in now, he doesn’t
want to take advantage; he wants Jean to take that step forward when he’s
ready.
Jean jolts toward him when he steps away, and Eren gives him a smile that is
reassuring. “Shh, it’s fine,” he murmurs, and he doesn’t know if the
reassurance is more for his own beating heart or for Jean’s. There is a
question in Jean’s eyes, and Eren turns around to get a towel for the taller
teen. “It’s not that I don’t want you,” he says once his back is turned, “but I
also don’t want to rush into this with you.”
When he glances over his shoulder, Eren discovers that Jean’s flush does indeed
extend all over his chest, and almost chokes at the adorableness. “God Jean,”
he groans underneath his breath, and shoves the towel into his chest. “You need
to take a shower, and I need to leave this room, before I take back my words. I
need to redeem my past shitty self, but you make it so hard.” With that he
storms out, and slumps against the wall near the bathroom door. This kid is
going to be the death of him.
***** Chapter 7 *****
Chapter Notes
     WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER: some solo jean action, which I wanted to
     warn for because he is still technically 17 right now in the fic! I
     know some people might be bothered by this, so I wanted to point it
     out so you can skip over that scene. Also it’s got a light BDSM
     undertone. ^^;
     I’ll just count this chapter was my entry of erejean week because we
     all know I love them! They are my babies.
     ;) So have a little bit of smut, even if it’s not the smut you guys
     want. (That will come later).
Jean stands against the wall, heart pounding and knees shaking, for another
five minutes before he manages to drag himself into one of the shower cubicles.
He turns the water to lukewarm, trying to cool himself down, but shudders as
the skin that Eren kissed pulses pleasurably. He can feel his stomach twisting
and his cock filling with blood. He tries to ignore it, soaps up his body, but
he pauses to tweak at one of his nipples and whines into the quietness of the
room. He figures no one will bother him, but to be safe he braces one arm
against the wall, and pushes his mouth against his forearm to muffle any noise.
His teeth bite into the flesh as soon as he runs this thumb over the head of
his cock, spreading around the pre-come, and imagining that Eren is looming
behind him. He works himself hard and thoroughly, wanting to tease other places
on his body, but not daring to. The thought of anyone overhearing him would
kill him, the embarrassment too much to handle, and so he just bites harder
into the flesh of his arm to keep down the loud whine that gets caught in his
throat.
He imagines Eren panting a litany of dirty words in his ear, praising Jean for
being such a good boy as Jean thrusts into the tightness of his fist. He ends
up coming as he imagines Eren’s teeth digging into the flesh of his shoulder,
and Jean lets his chest fall flat against the coolness of the tile. He gives
himself a few seconds, panting beneath the now freezing water, and then washes
away the damning evidence.
He ponders over the fantasy that he had conjured up, and feels confused by the
whole thing. Jean isn’t a virgin; he has had a couple of awkward tumbles with
Marco, quick and hushed since they never had a quiet place to explore. Never
before has he really pondered anything behind that though, and maybe he is now
because Eren is older and seems more experienced. He realizes he’s starting to
shiver though, and he resumes the task of showering.
It’s been so long since he’d had the privacy or time to touch himself, and the
relaxing effect is almost immediate. His eyelids are heavy as he scrubs his
scalp, and he sluggishly wraps his lower body in a towel. He realizes that he
rushed in and hadn’t grabbed clothes, so he scrambles across the hall as fast
as he can, and slams the door to the joint bedroom close. When he turns around,
Eren is looking at him with wide eyes, and Jean stumbles back against the
closed door, embarrassed and surprised. 
Eren’s warm chuckle causes his ears to tinge pink, and he makes a grand show of
turning toward the wall and closing his eyes to give him privacy. Jean snorts
and stomps around to grab the clothes that Eren must have laid out on the bed,
tugging on the tread bare tank and plaid boxer shorts. When he’s finished, he
throws the towel at Eren’s head, and grins widely when the other almost topples
off the side of the bed.
Eren scoops it up, ready to throw it back at him, but Jean ducks underneath his
blankets and when he peeks back out, Eren is instead crawling into the bed with
him. “Is this okay?”Jean blinks multiple times, realizing that Eren had signed
at him, and he can’t help the way his vision becomes misty from tears. He
throws both of his arms around Eren, nuzzling his face into the side of his
neck, and nods frantically so the other won’t go anywhere.
“Why are you crying you loser?” Eren’s tone is so gentle and Jean melts against
him when Eren’s fingers begin to massage the nape of his neck. A few tears
smear into the skin of Eren’s neck, but Eren doesn’t push him away, merely lays
the both of them down and lets Jean cuddle closer.
Jean begins rubbing his fingers over Eren’s ribs, breathing in the scent of
Eren once again. He had smelled it for the first time earlier that day, his
sickness finally abating, and Jean couldn’t be happier about it. He finally
lifts his head and locks his eyes with Eren; raising the arm he’s not laying on
and brushing some of Eren’s hair from his forehead. He flushes, surprised by
his own actions, and then signs: “thank you,” to let Eren know how much him
learning sign language meant to him.
“There’s no need to thank me,” Eren mutters and Jean can’t quite pinpoint what
emotion makes his eyes shimmer in such an attractive way. “Besides I’m just
getting started, so thank me when I master it.” Jean can’t help the laugh that
bubbles out of him at Eren’s cocky statement, and drops his head onto the
pillow next to the other.
He lets his eyes roll over Eren’s body, noticing how even though Eren is
smaller in height then him, he is not at all fragile. Eren has broad shoulders
and muscles that aren’t bulging, but a lot bigger then Jean’s own. Eren is
compact where as Jean is lank, and Jean can’t help appreciating that. He shifts
his gaze back toward Eren, and notices that the other is examining him in the
same way, and Jean can’t help shifting uncomfortably. Jean hates his body right
now, knows it’s too scrawny and too pale, but stops squirming when Eren’s hand
lands on his hip to tug him closer.
“Stop it,” Eren says into the small space between them, and Eren entwining
their legs as if to ensure that Jean won’t escape. Jean knows that Eren isn’t
talking about the squirming, and wonders how Eren can tell when Jean is
thinking negative thoughts. So for Eren’s sake, he pushes those thoughts to the
side and rubs his nose against the underside of his jaw.
Eren makes a noise that resembles a purr, and Jean hums in response. “Hey
when’s your birthday?” Jean makes another noise, too lazy to pick his head up
and look Eren in the eye, and lazily raises his hand to sign: “April 7th.” Eren
makes a surprised noise, and rolls Jean beneath him, hovering and looking into
his face. Jean just looks up at him, confused by the reaction.
“That’s not that far away, you know?” Jean actually doesn’t know, since living
on the streets, he has a bad habit of just losing time. Days would continue on,
but he wouldn’t bother to glance at the calendar to figure out what days they
were. “It’s the 26th of March in this endless winter,” Eren jokes. Jean smiles,
small and tired, but still sweet as ever as Eren’s body heat soaks through the
front of his shirt. “We’ll have to plan something really nice.” 
Jean must look flabbergasted because Eren snorts, and knocks his knuckles
against his temple. “You’re so stupid,” he says and Jean shivers when Eren runs
his knuckles down the side of Jean’s face. Eren looks like he’s going to say
more, but rolls off Jean when the door swings open. Mikasa and Annie shoot them
an odd look, but Armin just makes his way to their combined bed and crawls into
the middle of it.
Jean isn’t sure what to do with them in the same room, wonders if Eren wants
them to know about whatever this thing is going on between them, and is
worrying his lower lip when he’s tucked against Eren’s side. Eren’s fingers
reach for his lips, gently prying them apart, probably so that Jean will stop
chewing on his already chapped lips. There is a bead of blood on his lip, and
Eren smears it with his thumb, and Jean feels heat boil in his stomach. Eren’s
thumb lingers, and feeling bold, Jean swipes his tongue over the callused
fingertip. Eren makes an animalistic growl, low and heavy in his chest, and
Jean has the burning urge to kiss him. He is leaning up to do so, their breath
mingling and mouths only inches from each other, when a loud cough causes them
to pull away from each other.
It’s Annie and she has such a caustic expression that any arousal Jean had felt
completely disappears. He realizes that the look is directed at Eren, rather
then him, and that causes him to relax a tiny bit. He shifts off Eren and tugs
the blankets closer to his body. He slides one of his hands into Eren’s to show
him that he doesn’t want him to leave. Eren’s fingers squeeze his, even while
Annie and him continue their wordless conversation. Soon, Annie turns and
climbs into the bed, nestling against Mikasa’s back with a huff, and Eren lets
go of his hand briefly to burrow underneath the covers.
Jean wiggles around to get comfortable, flipping so that he’s on his side and
facing the wall that their bed is pressed up against. He feels movement behind
him, and then Eren’s arm hooks around his waist, and Jean lets out a content
hum. He cups his hand over Eren’s after he tugs the blanket almost fully over
his head. Jean enjoys finally being in a place where he feels comfortable
enough to tug the blankets over his eyes, and to let his hearing be muffled by
the fabric as well, even at home; he had hardly felt safe sleeping in his
preferred position. Eren’s breath stirs the hair on the top of his head, and
Jean smiles as he presses his body backward into Eren’s body.
Soon, he’s on the cusp of sleep, listening to Eren’s little snores behind him,
and Jean can’t believe that his life has changed so swiftly. With one last
sigh, he gives into the darkness behind his eyelids.
***** Chapter 8 *****
Chapter Notes
     LMFAO so I realized the random date I put in, while I was typing this
     new chapter, was Eren’s birthday!!! So, I changed it because, uh,
     like any of these losers would forget Eren’s birthday, I’m sorry for
     the brain fart. All mistakes are my own since I beta all my own work,
     so I apologize.
     So I’m thinking about making this part of a series, and have the next
     one concentrate more on Eren’s past. Right now, I know the story is
     heavily based around Jean, but I think it’s necessary at the same
     time. I think Jean needs to be focused on before; I can focus on the
     others even though I have a lot of ideas for Eren and the others.
     I don’t know if any of you read the other notes, but if you do – tell
     me what you think.
     Also I apologize for this being late, I was crying over baby Jean.
     This update is rather short because I thought that ending was too
     perfect to add more, but the next one will be longer!
Eren spends his time in the next few days learning more sign language, trying
not to ravage Jean, and planning a huge party with Armin, Annie, and Mikasa. He
wakes up with Jean hovering over him, disorientated and half asleep. Jean is
laying on his side, propped up on one of his arms and facing him with their
legs brushing together. Eren is on his back staring up at him, blinking away
sleepiness as he notices the halo of light shining around Jean’s head. Jean
cups his chin, and trails kisses over his forehead, eyelids, cheeks, and even
the tips of his ears. When Jean pulls back, he’s flushed and Eren can’t help
smiling at his adorable expression. 
“What was that for?” He whispers into the darkness between them, voice husky
from sleep. He reaches his hand up, and strokes it down Jean’s spine so the
other knows how much he appreciates the wake up call. 
Jean’s eyes close for a few moments, content with the warm touch, and Eren
can’t help just watching him. Jean is so strikingly beautiful with his strong
jaw, smoky lashes, and lengthy neck. It kills Eren that Jean doesn’t seem to
realize this. He is pulled away from his thoughts when Jean’s smooth palm cups
his chin, and turns his face in his direction. Eren frowns because he can feel
Jean trembling beneath his touch, and rubs his thumb against his ribs in an
attempt to calm him. 
Right when Eren is about to open his mouth, Jean does so instead. “H-Happy
birthday,” Jean says, hushed and sore from disuse, but such a gift that Eren
just stares at him in disbelief. It doesn’t sound exactly like he imagined, but
he thinks that if Jean continues to use his voice, when he’s ready, that it
will. For now though, he leans up and slants their mouths together. 
Jean tenses at first, but melts against him as Eren guides him with gentle
pressure, a tongue sweeping over his plush lower lip. He can tell Jean isn’t
too mastered, and that makes the experience all the sweeter when Jean’s mouth
parts underneath his. Eren’s tongue glides in, brushing against Jean’s, and
swallowing the dreamy moan that he coaxes from Jean. He’s not surprised that
Jean tastes of a weird mixture of cinnamon, dark chocolate, and a hint of mint.
When he rakes his tongue over the roof of Jean’s mouth, Jean melts against him
and Jean ends up throwing one of his legs over his hip. Soon Jean’s palms are
on his stomach and clenching at the fabric of his t-shirt, and Eren can’t help
the grunt that escapes his lips when Jean’s palms sit on his bare abs. He pulls
back just enough to nip at Jean’s upper lip, and sucks it briefly until Jean
whines aloud. He decides he needs to stop before this goes way too far, and
drops his head back against the pillow with a sigh. 
Jean is dazed, lips reddened, and Eren can’t help caressing his lower lip with
his thumb. “Thank you so much, that’s the best gift I’ve ever been given.” He
makes sure his voice is overflowing with gratitude so that Jean can’t mistake
his words for anything less then the truth. True, he had always wanted to hear
Jean’s voice, but never before the other was ready, and he never thought it
would be this soon. 
Jean’s eyes flit around, embarrassed or nervous; Eren can’t quite tell which so
he waits to see what will happen. He doesn’t move, keeps both of his hands by
his sides, and keeps still. Jean shifts finally, about thirty seconds into
Eren’s endeavor to keep still, and lets Jean straddle his hips. He watches as
Jean grabs both of his hands, how Jean’s fingers stroke over his own, and
smiles as Jean leans forward until their foreheads are resting against each
others. They share the same air, breathing against the other’s lips, until Jean
shifts backwards. 
“I wanted to give you a special present, but I’m not ready to speak all the
time,” Jean signs. Eren notices that Jean’s hands are shaking, like he’s
expecting to be reprimanded. Eren grabs both of them when he’s done signing,
and brings them up to his mouth to press barely there kisses to the knuckles. 
“Jean I couldn’t ask for more then you’ve already given me,” he says against
the skin, watching as his breath causes the tiny hair to shift. When he locks
eyes with Jean, the other is watching him with veneration and Eren fiercely
wants to kiss him, but the pattering of feet in the hall prevents him from
doing so. 
Mikasa always makes a big deal out of his birthday, as he does about hers, and
he knows that he’s dragged both Annie and Armin into her plan. It’s no wonder
that Jean figured out when his birthday is because Mikasa more then likely
outright told him. She’s never been the type to conceal her excitement when it
comes to celebrations, and Eren’s surprised that she hasn’t revealed the plans
to the joint party that they’ve all been planning behind Jean’s back. 
Before they can storm into the bedroom, Eren sits all the way up with his back
against the wall and tugs Jean close until the other is cuddled with his head
on his shoulder. His fingers trail over his spine just as the door swings open,
but Jean is too relaxed to jerk away like a scared kitten as he usually would.
Eren laughs when he sees Mikasa, Annie, and Armin carrying a cake that has to
be held up by the three of them. The frosting is mint green in color with
random creatures on it like the ones he used to dream about; they’re creepy
dudes with no genitals and too many muscles. His father had thought he had
mental issues, but Mikasa always teases him about it and now they’ve been on
his cake every year since. Even Annie and Armin think they’re normal by now,
and he feels happy at the thought that he’ll have to explain it to Jean now
too. But for now, Jean keeps his head against Eren’s neck, and mouths the
lyrics of Happy Birthday into his skin as his friends sing aloud. 
***** Chapter 9 *****
Chapter Notes
     Ok so I’m sorry about the lack of on time update last week. I got a
     new job AND broke my toe so I was just trying to adjust to
     everything. Please don’t think just because I have a job that I won’t
     be updating, this story was what kept me going through the time I
     didn’t have a job and I won’t let it remain unfinished! Also, because
     of this new job, I’m going to change the update day to Sunday.
     Now onward to the fic!
Jean still gets flustered; a week later, when he thinks about the fact that he
had spoken for Eren. Eren doesn’t bring it up in front of anyone else, which
reassures Jean because that takes any and all pressure off of him. At night,
when Eren is sleeping sweetly next to him, Jean tries to whisper words to him,
but his voice still isn’t ready.
During one of these times, Eren wakes up and rolls over to peer at him in the
darkness. Jean sputters and looks away from him, but Eren’s smooth lips rub
over his throat, and Jean melts into the sheets. “Don’t push yourself,” Eren
says. His voice is deep from slumber, and Jean swallows down the tickling in
the back of his throat. He turns on his side, and presses three soft kisses
beneath Eren’s earlobe as a sign of affection and gratitude.
Eren lets out a little purr, and tucks Jean’s head underneath his chin, which
makes Jean smile at the protective gesture. He let his breath tickle against
Eren’s neck, admiring the russet color of his skin, as his vision gets blurry.
Soon, he’s drifting off to sleep while the heat rolling off Eren lulls him to
sleep.
                                      ---
The next day, Jean wakes up relaxed and content even though his nose is
smooshed against Eren’s shoulder. The other male is looking at through heavy
lids; his face smoothed out with affection, and Jean pulls back to rub at his
numb nose.
“You were snorting, it was annoyingly adorable,” Eren says, and Jean’s ears
burn in embarrassment. Eren’s answering grin is sleepy and sweet and Jean has
the urge to punch him because what the fuck? How does Eren have a direct line
to the tempo of his heartbeat? With a little whine, he shoves the other’s face
away, and rolls over to push his face into the coolness of his pillowcase to
get his skin back to its normal color. Eren just chuckles, and leans forward to
lightly brush his lips against the nakedness of Jean’s nape.
“Tomorrow is your birthday,” Eren whispers into the skin. Jean used to feel so
much anxiety about the day before, the day of, and the day after his birthday,
but it’s been smothered by Eren dragging him backward so the cradle of Eren’s
hips are pressed against his ass. Eren is sporting a semi, and Jean hums and
teasingly rolls his hips backward. Eren grunts and bites at the flesh of Jean’s
neck and Jean shudders, a grunt escaping his lips. “You want an early present?”
Eren’s voice is smoky with desire, and Jean whines because that’s as close as
he can get to asking nicely.
Jean’s breathing increases as Eren soothes the bite mark with kisses, laving it
with his tongue occasionally as well. Eren cups Jean’s hip, and Jean bites his
lower lip as he realizes that Eren is holding him steady so he can continue to
rut against him. Impatiently, Jean reaches back and tugs at the baggy fabric of
Eren’s basketball shorts. He wants to feel the silky heat of Eren’s erection,
and as soon as possible. Eren seems to sense his desperation and shucks off his
shorts in a move that is so graceful; it almost makes Jean jealous, but is
distracted by Eren drawing Jean’s boxers down below his ass.
Jean wants to turn his head, to stare at the size and shape of Eren’s cock, but
Eren is spreading Jean’s thighs apart as far as the elastic will allow. “Hold
it there,” Eren commands, and Jean trembles at the authoritative tone. He
doesn’t move an inch, and waits while Eren rummages around the room. He
examines the crack on the wall that looks like a lightening bolt, and tries to
keep his breathing even because he already feels on the edge of coming without
hardly any stimulation. Soon Eren is back, pressed against him and reaching
around to cup his balls, and Jean drops his head backwards to Eren’s shoulder
as his eyes clench shut.
Eren is caressing his balls, the skin so warm it causes him to whine, and
Eren’s breathing is ragged against his ear. “Do you want me to fuck your
thighs?” Jean nods wildly, wanting whatever Eren is offering to give, and Eren
is pushing his cock, slick and warmed with lube, through the gap of Jean’s
thighs. The head of his cock hits his balls, smearing precome, and Jean reaches
down to caress the length of it. Eren feels about the same size as him, but
decidedly thicker, and Jean’s mouth waters at the thought of it. Before he can
start a further exploration or shove Eren backwards to give him a sloppy
blowjob, Eren is pulling back then thrusting forward again.
Jean whines, throwing his arm over his shoulder to cup the back of Eren’s head,
and craning his neck to beg for kisses. Eren’s eyes are glazed, free hand
rolling his balls, and Jean is whining even louder until Eren is smothering the
cries with his own lips. Jean rolls his hips backwards, moving with Eren, and
sucking at his upper lip as Eren’s groans echo through the room. Jean watches
as Eren slides back, a thread of spit between them, and Jean flushes at the
dirtiness of the situation even as Eren continues to fuck his thighs.
“Look at you,” Eren grunts, his hand moving up to give a rough jerk to Jean’s
cock. “So flushed and pretty, your lips bruised,” he stops to twist his hand
and Jean squeals despite himself. “Will you look this pretty if you let me fuck
you?” Jean clenches his fingers into Eren’s hair, body spasming at the
combination of dirty talk, Eren’s pelvis bones slapping against his ass, and
the roughness of Eren’s tugging. His mind turns to the thought of Eren fucking
him, and he comes with a scream that is tapered off by Eren shoving his index
and middle finger into his mouth. Jean is trembling; his stomach and the sheets
wet with his own come as Eren continues moving behind him. When he comes back
to his senses, Jean begins to suck at Eren’s fingers, rolling his tongue over
the calluses on his fingertips. Eren gives one last thrust, his pelvic thrusts
turning Jean’s ass redder, as Jean feels Eren’s come coat his thighs and balls.
Jean pants around Eren’s fingers, some drool pooling out of his mouth, and Eren
breathes behind him. Soon Eren is taking back his fingers, and manhandling
Jean’s pliant body. Jean offers him a sated smile, and Eren returns it before
grazing their lips together in a gentle kiss. Jean immediately responds,
keeping the kiss light, until Eren shifts backward to stand. “Good thing we’re
the only one around and also that we have the day off.”
Jean moves his own hair off his forehead, a lazy smile on his lips, before Eren
is sweeping him into a princess hold. Jean smacks his pectoral, but doesn’t
squirm out of his hold as Eren carts him into the bathroom. “Asshole,” Jean
signs, and smiles as Eren lets out a throaty chuckle in reply.
“I just want to take care of my favorite boy.” Jean laughs at the sickly cooing
in Eren’s tone. Jean walks his fingers down the side of Eren’s face fondly,
admiring the cut of his jaw and the defined Adam’s apple at his throat. “Don’t
look at me like that, you’ll make me blush.” Jean’s eyes dart up, and he
notices that Eren already is so he merely leans up to trail kisses across the
tops of his cheekbones. Eren lets him, and that makes Jean happier then he can
describe. A second later, Eren turns the shower on, and the water is so
freezing that when it hits his skin, he almost smacks Eren in the face as he
flails to get away.
That damn handsome asshole sure knows how to ruin a perfectly romantic moment.
***** Chapter 10 *****
Chapter Notes
     I’m sorry that the other chapters have been short, but I think the
     smut (hopefully) makes up for it! I wanted to make the last two
     longer, but I was too tired from work – it’s okay though because I
     have something juicy planned out for the next few chapters.
     I also am planning a possible idea for a completely different Eren/
     Jean AU! It’s just a snippet of an idea right now, and I haven’t
     written anything yet, but I do enjoy writing in this fandom so don’t
     expect me to just disappear when this fic is done.
     P.S. I know my past few chapters have been shorter compared to what I
     have been writing, but I do want the party to be in Jean’s POV.
Eren has been running behind Jean’s back to help plan for the surprise party,
and when he wakes up on the morning of Jean’s birthday – he feels content. Eren
had always been the guy who fucked without attachments, nameless people with
kind souls, but he felt like keeping them bound to him wouldn’t be right. Some
silly part of him, the romantic part that hasn’t been squashed, wants to
believe that it was because he was waiting for Jean.
He wants to be a better person for Jean, whom despite the trails he’s been
through is still so pure of heart. So when he rolls over to spoon his object of
affection, Eren can’t help feeling disappointed when there is only a cold spot.
He drags his fingers down his face, and groans, because he knows he’ll have to
roll out of bed to find him. He really just wanted to cuddle up to Jean and go
back to sleep, but that asshole had to ruin his plans.
He shuffles out of bed, slow as possible, and then hops around once his feet
touch the cold cement floor. He opens the cracked door of their shared bedroom,
and peeks his head around to see that the furniture had been rearranged, along
with Annie’s wrestling mat laid out. He steps out completely to see Annie and
Jean circling each other.
Annie is clad in a sports bra, tight shorts, fist wraps, and nothing else, and
he wonders if Jean is shirtless to match her. Her bare feet hardly make a sound
as her steel blue eyes are narrowed and concentrated only on Jean. Eren’s been
on the end of those eyes, and he’d rather spar with Mikasa any day.
His eyes are soon focused on Jean’s bare back as they stop circling, and Eren
has to bite down on his lower lip to keep from making an inappropriate noise.
Jean has gained back some weight, which half has gone to his beautiful ass, and
the other has gone to his lean muscles. Eren hadn’t had the opportunity to see
it up close, but he had noticed that Jean had been filling out Eren’s burrowed
out clothes a bit better. He groans as Jean dodges a swift punch by Annie, sees
the way the muscles in his long back bunch and contract as he twists to get
back to his feet.
“Stop leering, Jaeger.” Armin’s voice takes him out of his aggressive staring
contest with Jean’s back, but he has a hard time turning his attention toward
Armin. The younger male is doing an amazing job of keeping his gaze from Annie,
and somehow both of their eyes finally meet. “They’ve been doing this a lot,
but you sleep like a rock until your internal alarm wakes you up so I’m not
surprised this is the first time you’ve seen it.” Armin brushes his damp hair
from his face, and offers Eren a sweet smile and an amused shake of the head.
“But Jean is usually sleeping when I get up,” Eren comments, confused because
he always is the one to shake Jean awake. Now that he thinks about it though,
Jean does tend to smell freshly showered, but he’s probably been too smitten to
put the pieces together.
“Annie has to be at work around 6:00 AM so they work out for an hour at 5, Jean
showers, and then goes back to bed,” Armin explains. Eren forgets that Armin is
an incredibly light sleeper most of the night, and he tends to watch Annie get
ready before going back to sleep. Armin shoots him a sly look out of the corner
of his eyes, and Eren flushes because he’s woken up a couple of times from a
passionate dream about Jean – and now he knows that Armin knew about it all
along.
“Don’t say anything,” Eren hisses, while Armin lets out a laugh that borders on
a giggle. When he turns around, both Annie and Jean are facing both of them.
Jean has a white towel around his neck, and he’s patting at the sweat on his
jaw. His bare chest is heaving, and Eren is tilting his head to the side while
he gets fixated on the pinkness of Jean’s nipples. His head rears back from the
sudden force of a towel in his face, and he rips it off to see that Annie is
smirking at him, unsurprisingly towel-free.
“You were drooling,” she says. Eren hastily scrubs at his mouth while Armin,
Annie, and Jean laugh aloud at his gullible action. He glares at each of them,
and dramatically storms to the kitchen to dig out the huge bowl of fruit salad
that Mikasa had thrown together. He keeps his back to them, even as he hears
Annie and Armin cooing at each other and disappearing into the bathroom. He
doesn’t want to think about what they’re doing in there especially since Armin
just got out of the shower.
He dishes two bowls out, and only pauses when he feels Jean’s chin balancing on
his shoulder. A smile curves on his lips despite himself, and he playfully and
lightly pushes on Jean’s face. Jean grunts in annoyance, and pushes his face
harder against Eren’s hand to make him stop, and Eren gives in to Jean’s
demands.
Finally, Eren turns and tugs the sweaty boy into a soft kiss. “You smell awful,
but happy birthday,” he mutters into his smooth lips, not wanting to pull back.
Jean does pull back, a sweet abashed look on his face, and Eren can’t help
sneaking a few kisses to Jean’s defined collarbone. It also lets him stare at
Jean’s nipples until he can see that embarrassed red hue take over Jean’s
chest. With a chuckle, he grabs the bowls and drags Jean to sit down on the mat
since he’s far too lazy to right the couch.
Jean pulls his legs criss-cross, and his long fingers immediately sneak out a
sliced strawberry and pops it into his mouth. Eren tries not to ogle his bare
chest again, but it’s so hard when Jean has been hiding away his body for a
while. Even yesterday, when Jean had so sweetly moaned and let him fuck his
thighs, he had still been wearing a baggy t-shirt. He adjusts himself as his
mind tries to replay those memories, but his cock has already been half hard
since he laid eyes on Jean’s back.
“Is there anything you want to do today?” Eren questions, as he tries to get
his mind off his own arousal and back on making this day special for Jean.
Later, they are going to be throwing a party at Erwin’s impressive condo, but
for now he’s going to distract Jean while the rest of them take care of the set
up.
Eren watches, as Jean gets shy, his shoulders inching up toward his ears,
before he shakes his head. Eren can’t help smiling and sneaks his fingers
between Jean’s shoulder and ear to tickle the lobe. “We don’t have to go
anywhere,” he says as a wicked grin comes over his face. “We could just play in
bed all day.” He makes sure to pop the p so that Jean won’t mistake what he’s
trying to see.
Jean squirms, and does this type of spastic dance before falling back then
throwing an arm over his eyes. Eren laughs, adoring how adorable the other boy
can be, and can’t help crawling closer and moving to straddle Jean’s hips. “You
don’t need to hide from me,” he coos, removing Jean’s hands from his face and
pinning them over the other’s head in a loose hold. “I just like when you
blush.” The statement is honest, and that seems to fluster Jean even more.
Jean is teething at his lower lip, lust making his eyes darken to almost black,
and Eren can’t help swooping down to catch his lips. Eren immediately pushes
his tongue past Jean’s lips, perhaps too overeager, but feels reassured when
Jean mewls sweetly. He chases the taste of fruit from every corner, and groans
when Jean’s tongue darts along his. When Jean grinds upward, Eren pulls back
with a hiss, but his eyes can’t ignore the way the veins in Jean’s neck are
straining. He also notices how Jean hasn’t broken his loose hold, and that
causes his head to spin with arousal.
Jean seems to be more submissive then he thought, and Eren is the type that has
no problem exploring that side of the beauty beneath him. He’s been with
partners that possess either dominant or submissive tendencies, but had never
stayed with them long enough to more then dabble in the BDSM realm. He doesn’t
know all of the rules, but he is willing to find out more - especially on
whatever kinks that Jean happens to be into.
 “Do you like when I hold you down, baby?” He asks because that is the best way
to figure stuff out, and also he has pretty much no impulse control. Jean’s
whole body seems to spasm at the question, breathing accelerating and Eren
wishes fiercely that they were alone in the warehouse. “Fuck,” he groans as he
detangles himself from Jean, and falls on his side next to him. “You are going
to be the death of me, babe.”
Jean snorts, and then lets out an agreeable laugh that causes Eren to throb
with want. He glances over, and sees Jean is waiting for his attention so he
can communicate: “me? You just fucking ask the most embarrassing things in that
husky voice.Don’t call me babe either, it’s too cute.”
Eren grins, sweeping his messy bangs from his forehead before shaking his head.
“Well I want to give you what I want, which is why I ask and I’m calling you a
babe because look at you.” He purposely runs his eyes down Jean’s body until
the other kicks his thigh. With a smirk, he reaches down, entwining their
fingers even though he’d rather be sucking Jean off. “I really do want to give
you everything you want though,” he repeats, voice soft and sincere.
Jean’s face softens at those words, and he raises his free hand to sign: “Me
too, everything and anything.” Eren doesn’t even get scared when he realizes
that he’s totally in love with Jean at that moment.
***** Chapter 11 *****
Chapter Notes
     I was so busy last week that I wasn’t able to post! I was working
     overtime and my mom’s birthday was also on mother’s day so I just
     running around the whole weekend as well. I hope that all of you
     aren’t too angry with me.
     I did figure out what plot I’m going to do for my next erejean fic,
     which will be so fuuuuun. It’s going to be combining some of my
     favorite fic tropes and it will be AU as well.
     P.S. I know I promised smut, but I got some fluff inspo instead so
     the smut will come next chapter!
Jean comes out of a light sleep when he feels the warmth of fingers caressing
the his brow. He mumbles, sleepy and pliant, before his eyelids twitch open to
see the bleary image of Eren hovering over him. Jean turns his head into the
gentle touch, almost being lured back into sleep until Eren flicks him on the
forehead to snap him out of it. He scowls up at him, and swats him away while
Eren laughs heartily at his disgruntled expression. 
“I’m not letting you sleep your whole birthday away,” Eren says with a smile
that looks a tad mischievous. Jean tries to swat at him, embarrassed, but Eren
catches his wrists, and then leaves over to seal their lips together. Jean’s
lips are still swollen from all the kisses they’ve exchanged throughout the
day, but he doesn’t protest to sharing more with Eren. Eren keeps it caste
though, and pulls back to look down at him. “But I really have something
planned, and I laid out some semi-nice clothes for you.”
Jean’s brows furrow, confused and still sluggish. Eren smoothes the crease on
Jean’s forehead away with the pad of his thumb before standing up and leaving,
probably so that Jean will get dressed. Jean almost pouts, because he’d rather
just keep cuddling away the day, but he instead rolls out of the bed and picks
through the clothes that are neatly folded on the opposite bunk. He finds a
pair of black jeans that are without any rips and so definitely nicer then what
he normally wears, along with a burgundy v-neck that he isn’t quite sure he can
pull off. Eren picked it out for him though, and so he dons them and coifs his
hair so that it looks artfully messy.
The clothes fit perfectly, and so he dons his socks and picks out his usual
slightly scuffed combat boots to complete it. Twisting his black 11 mm gauges
in his ears, he breathes out through his nose and goes out into the living room
area only to groan at how gorgeous Eren looks. He’s wearing a white oxford
shirt, the sleeves rolled up and revealing his tanned forearms, while on top of
that is a buttoned up navy vest that fits closely to the panes of his body.
Dark wash jeans hug his hips, practically painted to his legs and ass too if
Jean had to guess, but he keeps on his combat boots too, which causes Jean to
grin to himself.
“Fuck,” Eren mutters, breaking the silence, and their eyes both meet as soon as
they stop checking each other out. “I knew you’d look amazing in that color,”
he states, and Jean can feel his cheeks turning a shade that closely match it.
Eren’s grin is crooked and charmed as he crosses the room, and Jean immediately
nuzzles into his jugular to get a whiff of Eren’s comforting scent. Eren’s warm
fingers tickle his spine, keeping them pressed tight together, until Jean pulls
back.
“Where are we going?” Jean signs, letting his free fingers curl in Eren’s belt
loops to keep him close. He is nervous, not about where Eren is taking him, but
about the fact that Eren is giving too much to him – too much that he doesn’t
deserve, and too much that can be disappear in the blink of the eye.
Eren has this innate ability to read him though, and slides a few kisses over
his sharp cheekbones. “We’re going to a little get together that more then
likely includes cake,” he says and Jean laughs because Eren tenses up like he
just gave away a huge secret. “Fuck I wasn’t supposed to tell you that, but
your cuteness has melted my brain you asshole.”
Jean pulls back, a grin stretching impossibly wide on his lips, and moves to
grab his leather jacket so they won’t be late. He can feel Eren’s eyes on his
ass, and can’t help the way that his hips start to sway a bit. He just hopes it
doesn’t look awkward, but Eren isn’t laughing so that ups his confidence a
smidgen.
Eren walks stiffly across the room when Jean glances over his shoulder, and
Jean barely manages to push down any laughter as he fumbles to throw his jacket
on. “We need to leave before we’re late and possibly before I throw you on the
ground and fuck you.”
Jean almost chokes, damn Eren and his lack of subtlety. 
                                      ---
They take the motorbike, and cross into the expensive part of Trost where the
rundown houses because expensive townhouses, condos, and mansions. Finally,
they stop in front of an old Victorian house with a beautiful wrap around porch
and vines encircling the white columns. Jean’s jaw drops at the bay windows,
and the light sandy brick that brings the whole house together. It’s the type
of house as a kid he had dreamed about owning, and it’s the reason he never
dared to cross into this side of town because he know he’d never be able to
afford it.
There are a handful of vehicles in the driveway, and the only one he recognizes
is the beat down Volvo that Armin, Annie, and Mikasa share. He’ll know someone
else beside Eren and that gives him a bit of comfort in case Eren gets swept
away from him sometime during the party. Jean manages to be less shaky when he
gets off the bike, but still lets Eren snake his arm around his waist.
Jean is in too much awe to even ask who owns the house, and allows Eren to lead
him up onto the porch and flinches in surprise when Eren knocks on the door.
His wide eyed stare, makes Eren chortle and kiss his brow, and Jean almost
pouts, but the door is wrenched open to reveal a well dressed Levi. The male’s
expression is disgruntled as ever, but a little less in the house, and so Jean
figures that he must live here.
“Get in here you shitty brats,” Levi says and Eren drags him into the house
before Jean can even make his legs work. He manages to get his bearings back,
and leans into Eren as they’re lead into a roomy living area with pristine
white couches along with a cherry wood coffee table and matching side tables.
Eren elbows him in the side, and seconds later Jean is staring at a group of
people, some familiar, and some not. They all seem to be friendly enough, but
he shrinks against Eren despite all of this. Eren immediately steps into the
position of support, and Jean couldn’t be more grateful when Eren leads him
around the room and doesn’t let go of him for the whole night.
                                      ---
 Around 12 AM, Jean is a giggly mess from champagne that Hanji had been
sneaking him. He stumbles out onto the back porch, balancing an oversized piece
of peanut butter chocolate cake that Annie and Petra had baked from scratch. He
barely manages to land on one of the lawn chairs, his eyes crossed as they
concentrate on the cake that he’s trying to not drop.
He hiccups; his eyes watching the cake wobble and he finally places it on his
knee to begin devouring it. Unfortunately Jean’s stopped in his pursuit by
someone tugging him back further onto the chair. He frowns, turning his head
around to see three Erens watching him with an amused glint in their eyes.
“Can you really eat that whole thing?” Jean glares at them, blinking until they
become one, and then uses his fork to slice off a huge piece before shoving it
in his mouth to prove that he can. Eren just snorts, a fond expression crossing
his face and making his tanned skin seem to glow. Jean has a hard time
swallowing at how attractive he looks, and puts the cake on the side table to
crawl on Eren and sloppily kiss him instead.
Eren hums against his lips, tongue sweeping into his mouth to chase the taste
of cake, and Jean purrs as he threads his fingers into his hair. He just gave
up eating his cake to kiss this son of a bitch, and that’s when Jean realizes
that he loves Eren. He loves Eren for wanting to parade him in front of all of
the people he cares about, for wanting to give him a wonderful birthday, and
for not running away from him when seeing how fucked up Jean is.
When the kiss breaks, Jean can’t help the sob that escapes him, emotional from
drinking and from his first wonderful birthday in so long. Eren immediately
jerks up, wiping away tears with a franticness that is adorable. Eren is
babbling questions, and Jean can’t help giggling all over again when Eren
thinks the solution to drying his tears is to give him some more cake.
“I love you,” Jean says, making sure to use his voice because he feels those
two words are too important not to be said out loud. He would feel mortified if
he had been sober, but he’s grateful for the bubbly champagne as he takes the
fork from Eren’s hand and shovels more cake in his mouth. He blinks up at Eren,
noticing that he is frozen, and just chews as he waits for him to reply.
“I love you too you stupid drunk idiot,” Eren finally sputters out, and Jean
titters around the fork at how adorable his dumb boyfriend is. Eren tugs it out
of his mouth, and throws it across the dark yard so that he can smash their
lips together again, and Jean couldn’t feel even happier then he is right now.
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