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'Just Be' [Jean x Tsundere!Reader] - BONUS 4
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---'Just Be': BONUS 4---
In which Marco and Jean are caught in a rather compromising mid-air position.
(Notes: This short piece is bonus material for my ongoing fanfiction project, 'Just Be', a reader-insert series based on a ship between Jean Kirschtein and a Tsundere!Reader. This 'bonus chapter' was written for reader requests, and also to express my gratitude for this fic's 100 Watchers. Thank you so much, guys. ^^
This chapter takes place approximately a week or two before graduation, while the trainees are practicing their 3D-Maneuvering. The plot was inspired by the sketch above, drawn by moni158. Permission from the respective artist has been granted to use the idea and to use the sketch as the preview image. Thanks so much, moni158!
Warnings for language and suggestive themes. Do enjoy. 8D)
---
A click of irritation escaped your lips.
"That jackass is showing off again," you muttered, swinging out your legs in a restless manner.
Sitting perched upon a high branch, you gazed out narrowly into the forest vista, where a familiar lean-bodied soldier was busy perfecting mid-air choreography under the morning sunlight. As you sat on your ass, loafing around in a tree without much care for the training session at hand, Jean Kirschtein extravagantly pulled out all the stops with his repertoire. Hair-pin turns, glides, horizontal spins, advanced turns, double-flips, and other complicated maneuvers you could barely follow with the naked eye...
Though your pride would never allow you to admit it, you had a profound, yet grudging respect for the guy's talent for airborne mobility. And you'd be a piss-poor liar if you said it didn't infuriate you to some degree. It was as though the loud-mouthed bastard never made mistakes - even if he did, they were quickly polished out by his sublime sense of reaction - and the bastard knew it. Worse yet was the fact that he was a frequent braggart, and was quick to criticize (or outright belittle) others if he found fault with their technique.
You, in particular, were a favourite target for his condescension. And in your mind, there was no wonder why. He wasn't about to let you get too proud of yourself.
A light-hearted chuckle could be heard from the sidelong direction, from the black-haired, freckled soldier standing on the branch right next to you.
"He just doesn't want to be outdone by you, is all," Marco said kindly, as pleasant as ever. "The way things stand, you two are more or less on par when it comes to your 3D Maneuvering technique. You're a worthy contender for the top ten, and he knows that."
Well yeah, if my striking angle didn't suck so much ass, I'd probably be in 7th place or something, you thought to yourself, frowning. My technique is not as polished as Jean's, so surprise attacks are the only thing I have going for me...
You yawned loudly ...Ugh. So tired. As much as you would have loved to fly out there and give Jean a well-placed boot to the head (as a way telling him not to be so cocky), your mental processes were screaming for sleep right now. Every muscle in your body felt sore and overtaxed. That, and the tree you were sitting on was starting to feel a little too comfortable for you to stay alert. Your puffy eyelids were starting to droop.
A sunrise person, you were not.
"Don't know why he's so enthusiastic this early in the day. This is a free practice session," you told Marco blearily. "It's not like we're being graded, or anything." Massaging your aching shoulders, you squinted out into the distance and scowled. "...God. Just look at him, busting out the gymnastics at this blasphemous hour."
Jean was in the midst of performing his signature move, kicking off of a branch feet first into the air and allowing his legs to lead the rest of his body into a mid-air half-circle spin. As he landed within conversational distance, you decided - what the heck, might as well give him some attention for his efforts.
"Hey, Kirschtein!" you called out to him, wearing your best Sunday Smile. "That aerial mating dance of yours is actually starting to look remotely fabulous for once! Just so you know, if you're out to impress Mikasa, she's on the other side of the forest! With Jaeger!"
Whirling around to glare at you, Jean flashed you his trademark shit-eating grin.
"Oh, now that's just bloody clever of you, [Last]!" he retorted, teeth bared. "Tell me, do you plan to spend all morning in that tree collecting splinters with your ass, or are you actually planning to get some training done?"
"Screw you!" you shot back, still grinning savagely with dark-circled eyes. "I'm taking a rest right now!"
Jean expressed his concern for you in the most elegant way possible. "You look like you need it, Firefly. Your face looks like shit."
You twitched on your branch. "Oho, what was that? Didn't quite catch it. Care to come a little closer and repeat that?"
By the time you climbed back onto your feet, Jean had already kicked off into the air, not intent on sticking around for the righteous beatdown you were itching to unleash on him. Lacking the energy to go on one of your usual rampages after him, you lowered yourself back to a sitting position as the copper-blonde soldier disappeared into the trees.
Just his favourite way of looking after me, you thought, vowing to exact punishment upon him later. For now, though, you were too exhausted to give much of a shit.
As you yawned, wide-mouthed, Marco tilted his head towards you with a look of mild concern.
"Not enough sleep?" he inquired anxiously.
"Mm," you murmured drowsily, blinking your swollen eyelids. "Woke up in the middle of the night. ... Had a bad dream of being gnawed on by a Titan." You paused, shuffling uncomfortably. "I could literally feel my scalp being pulled off my skull. ...It hurt."
Marco turned around fully to stare at you, gaping with horror.
"...Are you serious?" He whispered, eyes widening. "My God... that's terrible!"
"Sure was," you muttered in a deadpan tone, rubbing your aching scalp. "...Turns out Sasha was eating chunks of my hair in her sleep."
All tension deflated in that moment. Marco's shock faded into one of harmless surprise. "What. Again?" He asked, blinking incredulously.
"Yeap," you muttered, wearing a revolted sort of grimace. "After that, I went straight to the baths to get all of the drool out... by the time I returned, there was the breakfast bell. As if I wasn't already too scared shitless to go back to sleep." Subconsciously, you combed your fingers through the locks of your slightly damp hair, convinced that it was still sticky with Sasha's saliva.
You gazed up at Marco with bloodshot eyes. "So as you can see, there's a legitimate reason as to why I look and feel like utter crap today."
Marco hummed sympathetically, still staring at you with genuine concern.
Your head began to droop.
"You go on ahead, Marco," you told him, waving off the freckled soldier. "Kirschtein needs someone to entertain him. I'm going to take a nap."
"In a tree?" Marco asked. "Are you sure that's wise?"
"Considering the fact that I'm just about ready to pass out on my wires anyway... yeah." You fluttered a hand over your mouth to cover a poorly-suppressed yawn. "Look, Marco, I've already anchored myself and everything. I just need you to not let the Instructor find out. Fifteen minutes is all I need. It'll be cool, I promise."
You smiled sleepily at him. "Better than accidentally crashing into a tree, or someone else in mid-air."
Marco looked doubtful, but your insistence (bull-headedness, more like) convinced him otherwise. He smiled warmly at you. "...Alright. Rest up. I won't wander too far. ...See you in fifteen, then?"
"Sure. Thanks, Marco."
With one last smile, he took to the air. You watched him fly off, feeling your eyelids sinking like weights. Within the span of a breath, you wound up nodding off peacefully on your branch, head resting gently against the sturdy tree trunk. Sure enough, your wires kept you from falling off, allowing you to enjoy a comfortable nap, surrounded by nothing but the peaceful ambiance of the forest all around... with the occasional zip of wires in the open air...
"Jean! LOOK OUT!"
"Huh?! ... Oh, mother FUCK-!"
CRASH.
"Wha...!!" At the frightening clamor, you flew awake, eyes snapping open and looking in every which direction possible. Your bewilderment annihilated the need for sleep. A shot of adrenaline spurred your body into action. Retracting your wires, you stood up and stared out into the forest, wondering what the flying fuck had happened.
Oh, shit. An accident?!
The birds, startled by the noise of the mid-air collision, quickly scattered into the air. Marco and Jean were nowhere to be found. That said... you concentrated and squinted your eyes into the distance.
You determined that the source of the commotion was not terribly far off. If you hurried...there was yet still a chance that you could help. That said, your heart suddenly felt fit to burst with panic. Fearing greatly for the safety of both Marco and Jean, (yes you were worried for that cocky bastard too), you fired off a pair of wires and catapulted yourself into the forest labyrinth, in search of the two men.
---
...It took a full minute for the stars to fade from Jean's vision. His head hurt and his body felt strangely crushed, but better than to feel nothing at all, yes? By the time he was able to determine that he was still alive and coherent with all limbs intact, he snapped his senses to full awareness and began to take collection of the current situation at hand. These were his first thoughts once that was done.
'... Well. This pretty much achieves a whole new level of awkward.'
The last thing he remembered right before the collision was realizing a breath too late that he had wandered right into the path of Marco's swing. From there, the rest was history. It was such an amateurish mistake that Jean felt like he might swallow his dual blades with embarrassment. That'll teach him to pay attention, instead of showing off.
And as if that wasn't humiliating enough...
Marco, his most trusted Brother-in-Arms, was slowly coming awake, his freckled features furrowed into a slightly pained frown. Once he too realized what had happened and where he was now, his eyes immediately blinked wide open in a startled expression. A stunned silence befell the two of them until finally Marco deigned to comment on their...current position.
"Jean. This is..." he uttered, flabbergasted.
Jean was audibly cringing in disbelief. "Tell me this isn't happening, Marco."
"You and I, we're..." the freckled young man started, only to be brutally cut off.
"Don't say it, Marco," Jean snarled. "Don't you fucking dare."
An awkward pause.
"... Y'know, Jean," Marco spoke with nervous cheerfulness. "You have to admit, the two of us are in a rather ridiculous position right now."
"DAMMIT, Marco."
Putting it bluntly, the two young men were bound tightly in mid-air, torsos squished together, wrapped up in a hopeless mess of wires. Adding insult to embarrassment was the fact that they now dangled from the trees some precarious distance above the ground, moving back and forth together in a gentle swing. Like a pendulum.
Try as he might, Jean couldn't budge his arms an inch - they were pinned flat against his back. And as if that wasn't enough, pressing snugly against his own taut, lean body was Marco's tall and sturdy form. Both young soldiers were athletic and considerably well-muscled, so quite frankly... Jean found the bodily pressure a little painful. Even more disconcerting was the fact that somewhere along the way, his legs ended up tangling with Marco's, crushing their hips together.
But perhaps most distracting of all was the fact that Marco's face was barely more than an inch away from his own, giving Jean a much closer view of those good-natured, freckled features than he had ever seen before - or was comfortable with. Bewildered eyes locked with his own, unbearably close. The two of them were practically nose-to-nose.
Is this my punishment for making fun of [First]? he wondered incredulously, cringing. Oh, Karma. You wailing bitch.
What set the ill-tempered trainee further on edge was the fact that Marco was now stirring and shifting against him in an agitated manner. This close, he could feel practically everything at this point, and it was rather maddening.
"Quit that, Marco!" he snapped irritably. "Do you want to make us fall, or what?!"
"Sorry, Jean!" Marco said apologetically. "I can't help it. This is just a little..." His face moved back to look at Jean...
...causing their noses to accidentally brush.
"...awkward." Marco finished the sentence, his voice a startled murmur.
No shit, smartass. Jean thought crossly. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to suppress his temper. Right. No point in getting angry. Now was the time to just calm down and think of a solution. ...Which hopefully involved getting the two of them safely untangled as soon as was bloody possible. But before he could do that, he had to be absolutely sure it was safe to even move. Were the grappling points secure, at least? His narrow, hawk-like eyes were soon on the move...
Marco's face, innocuous expression and all, blocked his view completely. Jean had hoped to tilt his head towards the upward direction, but thing was, he and Marco weren't even hanging vertically straight down. It was more of a slight leaning angle really... and right now, (much to Jean's infuriation) Marco was more the one on top. No matter how much Jean strained to lean his head back as far as was possible, Marco's face never hovered more than a few inches away.
... Alright, calm the fuck down, Jean, the copper-blonde soldier reminded himself. Just ascertain the situation, and then figure a way out from there. It's what you're best at, remember?
"Marco." he said simply. The black-haired lad blinked at him, attentive as ever. Huh. Those dark eyes were actually a sort of a warm, deep chestnut hue close up, Jean suddenly noticed. Ahem. "...Can you duck down a bit? I need to look up to see where our wires are attached."
Marco gave a slight nod. Slight, and still they managed to bump foreheads. "Sure, I can do that."
As Marco carefully lowered his head, Jean craned his neck backwards and tilted his face upwards to the treetops, his chin coming to rest on a soft bed of black, glossy hair. With his friend's head nestled snugly underneath (and tickling him), Jean could feel Marco's nose poking into the line of his collarbone. All the while, the weight of Marco's thickly muscled body continued to bear down on him, through no fault of their own - that was just gravity doing what it did best.
Was that of any consolation to Jean? Abso-fucking-lutely NOT.
Scowling in concentration, Jean allowed his amber eyes to follow the trail of wires that led up into the branches above. Within seconds, he was able to discern the situation from there. "Okay, good," he breathed out a sigh of relief. Marco's own breath tickled at his neck, right where the collar of his shirt opened. "We're secure. Those anchors won't be breaking anytime soon. ...We just need to untangle ourselves is all."
Easier said than done. Removing his chin from the top of Marco's head and lowering his face, Jean directed his attention, towards the length of wires that left him and Marco entrapped. He tried to move his left hand. It was tied up. Right hand? Also tied up. His legs? They were tangled with Marco's, right up to the point where their hips were locked together. ... At this rate, the most he could hope to do is wriggle his way out...
"Jean..." Marco murmured uneasily. The two were now eye-to-eye once more. "You mind... moving your face a little?" He paused, strangely timid. "...You're a little close. And your breath... is kind of... tickling me."
...Tickling his lips, Jean realized, with a slight spur of horror. Obliging, the copper-blonde soldier quickly turned his head to stare in the other direction. There. At least if 'anything' happened now, like another 'accident' ... at least it would be on the cheek. Still would be bloody mortifying though, even if this involved his best friend.
...Correction - ESPECIALLY if it involved his best friend!
"Oi... Marco. Are you able to get your one of your hands free?" Jean asked, amber eyes glancing downwards.
"Yeah," Marco replied. Jean felt even more shuffling against the surface of his body, causing him even more discomfort. (Good God, was that Marco's thigh sticking in between his legs?) "...I think I can get both of them loose, actually."
"Brilliant." Jean's mood lifted. Something was finally going right. "Let's see... think you can reach behind me and untangle my arms? They're pretty much pinned to my back right now."
"...Mm. Sure, I can try that," Marco murmured. Somehow to Jean, his voice felt unnervingly close, to the point of faintly brushing against the sensitive curve of his ear. ...And after everything that had happened up until this point, this just had to be one the thing that finally caused his face to redden. Stubbornly glaring in the other direction entirely, Jean decided that he had never felt more grateful than for the fact that Marco couldn't see the look on his face.
Wriggling himself partially free, Marco leaned in a little closer, bringing his arms around Jean's bound form in order to reach his back. Wrapped up in those broad, muscular shoulders, Jean felt a little crushed in this awkward and rather unwilling embrace. That said, he forced himself not to cringe away - Marco wouldn't be able to reach the wires keeping his hands tied up otherwise.
Somewhere behind him, Marco's hands fluttered around blindly in search of those accursed wires. Those arms continued to stretch and strain against his sides an agitated Jean fought to keep his patience under wraps. All in all, there really should be no reason for him to lose his cool. He clenched his eyes shut, determined to lose himself in his thoughts while Marco continued scrambling aimlessly. His breathing calmed, allowing his chest to heave a little less violently than before.
Besides, considering the motions and physical closeness involved, all he had to do was consider this as some kind of hug, right? A very odd sort of hug, but completely harmless nonetheless. Hugs weren't bad. (And by Jean's own private opinion, they actually felt kind of nice.) All he had to do was think of it as though Marco was simply hugging him... as close Brothers-in-Arms often did. Therefore, this was totally normal and platonic. No need for panic, or any emotion that was untoward...
... Jean abruptly blinked his eyes open when he felt the unexpected squeeze of Marco's palm.
"That's not my hand, Marco," he remarked pointedly, in his absolute most deadpan voice.
"Huh?" ....The moment he suddenly realizing where he was grabbing, Marco looked utterly mortified. His hands immediately flew right off. "Pardon me...! I honestly thought that was-"
"S'alright, Marco," Jean muttered through clenched teeth, determined not succumb to his frustration. Even so, his face was starting to burn. "Keep trying. Just... anywhere but there. Please."
After a few more minutes of hopeless fishing around, Marco sighed in exasperation. Even a saint with near boundless patience had his limits, it seemed.
"Sorry, Jean," he murmured, apologetically. "I'll have to lean in a bit closer, so I can get a better look over your shoulder." He paused. Jean could feel the temperature rising in Marco's face. "You don't mind... do you?"
"..." Jean was just about ready to damn everything to hell at this point, without another care in the world. "Yeah." he said simply. "It's fine." No it wasn't fine, but god damn it to fuck- "Just go ahead."
With that, Marco leaned his head further inwards, brushing past Jean's ear, coming in as close as he could possibly be. No matter how much Jean tried to distract himself, he remained acutely aware of the other male's chin resting snugly upon his shoulder, digging further in... Jean swallowed thickly, the sharply-defined musculature of his throat tightening around his Adam's Apple. The surface of his skin suddenly felt close to burning, like a fever... And was that Marco's face partially buried against the side of his neck?
Faintly, he felt Marco's hands maneuvering around the wires behind him, not quite so aimless as before, but still setting his nerves on edge. Remember, Jean. Just a hug, he reminded himself stubbornly. ...A hug that was a little more crushing and intimate than he was accustomed to...
"Any minute now, Marco," Jean remarked dryly. At least he could take solace in the fact that he was up here hanging out to dry with his most trusted friend. Had it been anyone else - not least of all goddamn Jaeger - Jean was absolutely certain that he surely would have murdered someone by now.
And yet, in all honesty, Jean was a little amazed at the way his friend was handling things. (Oh God, that pun.) The ever-patient Marco neither panicked nor lost his temper at Jean, nor did he lose his cool in the face of embarrassment on a world-class scale. Though they both dangled at a deathly height, he was as calm and accommodating as could be, working tirelessly to free Jean's arms from those wires. Quite frankly, Jean was a little amazed. For a while, he was content to let his friend do his work and stay perfectly silent, just listening to the quiet hum of Marco's voice, the faint sigh of his breath...
"...Jean," Marco suddenly murmured, holding his breath in anticipation. "I think I got it-"
Jean's eyes widened as the net of wires suddenly loosened and began to unravel away from his form. He felt something give a little - and not in a good way.
"Wait - No, Marco! NOT THAT ONE-"
A length of wire flew free, destabilizing the one force that had kept Jean hanging upright. The forces of gravity suddenly took over, causing him to slip from Marco's grasp in a terrifying freefall towards the ground.
"JEAN!"
Marco reacted in a split-second, arms wrapping tightly around Jean's form just as he fell. ...The copper-blond soldier let out a garbled noise as his face was squished up against Marco's midsection.
SNAP!
One of the wires broke from its grappling points, causing both men to plummet in a mid-air roll as their bindings unraveled from around them. Letting a yell that echoed throughout the tranquil forest maze, Jean found himself tumbling uncontrollably towards the ground with Marco, until he no longer knew up from down-
...There was a sudden stop. High above them, the remaining wires remained taut, preventing them from falling another inch further.
Jean let out a muffled groan. Judging from the way the forces of gravity sent blood and pressure through his neck and into his head, he was most certainly upside down now. Great. Upside-down where?
When he blinked his eyes opened, there was nothing but darkness, and his face was squished up against something soft like fabric. Something suspicious. Slowly putting one and one together, but not daring to believe it, he shifted his head an inch back...
...His eyes widened to the point where they bulged. Right at his nose was the fly of Marco's trousers.
From that point on, figuring what had happened was absolute history. Somewhere in the course of their fall, Jean and Marco had managed to untangle themselves - only to inadvertently collide in mid-air yet again. And now they were back to square one, tied up and suspended precariously in the air, swinging back and forth haphazardly. ...But this time, the two soldiers were now stuck in completely different and far more mortifying position...
Which immediately begged the question. Where was Marco NOW?
Someplace above, where Jean's legs stuck out in awkward angles through the air, a muffled and frantic voice suddenly rang out. "....Fff..mph...gh...!!"
"..." Jean wanted nothing more than to smack his head against a tree. Of all the damn places to feel the buzzing vibration from Marco's voice, it just had to be down there. That being said, considering where his own face was pressed against. Jean himself was in no better position than was Marco. Worse in fact - at least Marco wasn't the one hanging upside-down.
Something shifted against the top of his head, squishing his neck slightly. Jean was nestled headfirst against Marco's thighs, his arms hanging helplessly below him. Quite frankly, he wished he were back to staring nose-to-nose at his friend's face instead.
After a struggle (which Jean distinctly felt), Marco managed to angle his face away from Jean's crotch, gasping for air. The first words that left his mouth were frantic. "Jean? Where are you?!"
"Down here." Came the deadpan reply. Unable to see his friend's face, Jean simply shut his eyes, and waited while Marco looked around and made his own assessment of the situation. All the while, he struggled to ignore the highly uncomfortable and inappropriate sensation... of Marco's head shifting against his groin.
It didn't help either that Marco was clinging to him for dear life, arms wrapped up towards his hips and - God damn it, I TOLD him not to grab me there!
"Jean, I..." Marco uttered, in the most uncomfortable manner possible. "... I really...don't know what to say."
"...Then don't - say - a - word." Jean hissed through clenched teeth, emphasizing each syllable. It went without saying that where bad had initially gone to worse, worse had just shot straight to flat-out apocalyptic. If only Jean knew what was yet to come...
More goddamn shuffling. Still trapped against Jean's form, Marco began twisting and straining against the wires that wrapped around them - the absolute last thing that Jean needed right now when he was in the perfect position to feel practically everything, right down to the smallest movement. Needless to say, that managed to aggravate him more than the fact that their current circumstances were downright dangerous.
"Damn it, Marco!" Jean snapped, legs jerking slightly in the air. "Stop moving your head around like that!"
"I can't help it," Marco protested, still clinging tightly to the side of Jean's thighs. "Your crotch is in my face."
"I'm aware, Marco," Jean muttered in a sharply drawn breath, fiercely biting down his temper. "I am well aware."
The two of them continued to dangle there helplessly, in that absurd position, not making a single shred of progress. Finally, Marco sighed in resignation. "You know what? I think at this rate, we may as well try to attract help at this point. I don't see how we can get ourselves out of this situation otherwise."
Amber eyes widening, Jean was shot with panic as Marco suddenly shouted into the open air. "Hello?! Can someone please lend us a hand? Reiner? Mikasa? Armin? Anyone out there?!"
Jean yelled. "MARCO, NO-" Face turning red, he jerked his body violently in an erratic twitch, causing Marco to yelp as one of Jean's thighs hit the top of his head.
By this time, even Marco's nerves were starting to wear thin. "For crying out loud, Jean, I know what you're thinking. But at this rate, things are getting desperate - we need someone to call in a rescue team so that we can-"
"FUCK NO." Jean snarled obstinately, determined to guard the last shreds of his pride to the last breath. "It's bad enough we're in a position like this, the absolute LAST thing we need is for someone to wander right over and-"
He froze suddenly in mid-air, noticing something out of the corner of his eye.
"-see us."
Both Marco and Jean suddenly fell into a sudden hush, realizing at the same time that they were now graced by the presence of another. A witness to their ridiculous situation. Two sets of eyes drifted upwards, coming to rest near the branch of a tree. ...There you were, standing upon the limb, perched like a bird in the forest treetops.
Staring down at them, you stood stark still. Your eyes had blinked wide open, transfixed at the sight before you. Your lips were parted slightly in an opened-mouth expression of shock. From your vantage point, you had generous view of what exactly was going on - and then some. Knowing this...the faintest of smiles twitched at the corner of your mouth.
"Well, well..." you murmured in the most pleasant of voices, lowering yourself into a crouch for an even better look. Jean looked absolutely horrified and outraged by the sight of you.
You tilted your head to one side. "...Huh. Now this is something you don't see every day." You gazed upon the two tangled soldiers with an appraising look, eyes wandering up and down unabashedly. You reached up to stroke your chin with a thumb and index finger, looking greatly amused. "...Nice."
Jean's face erupted into a furious blush. Of all the people who just HAD to show up...
Marco had a much more positive reaction to your sudden appearance. "[First]! Thank goodness you're here! Can you believe it, Jean? We're saved!"
Hanging underneath, Jean expressed the extent of his enthusiasm in the most monosyllabic way possible. "... Just shoot me now."
Your retort came quick as a flash. "Well, that would be a bloody waste, wouldn't it?"
Jean bared his teeth up at you, eyes wide with rage. "I'm glad you find this so damn entertaining, [Last]," he hissed. "Just cut us loose. Right. Now."
"Actually, Jean, I don't think that's wise..." Marco said nervously, trying to stay ever the voice of reason. "We might seriously fall this time."
But Jean just exploded instead. "Marco, I'm about prepared to wreck my gums chewing through these goddamn wires with my teeth. JUST CUT US LOOSE."
"Jean, calm down-"
"I AIN'T BLOODY CALMING DOWN." The lean-bodied soldier glared up at you balefully. "For the love of God, [First]. Quit gawping and get us out of here, or so help me..." His words trailed off in a viciously threatening manner.
...You were completely unimpressed.
"Oho, you sure you want to take on that tone with me while your ass is up in the air?" you chirped at him, enjoying this moment to its fullest. Eventually though, you appeared to relent. "Alright, I get it. Calm your knickers and give me a minute."
"Whatever the hell for?" Jean demanded, shouting up at you.
Your answer was plain and simple. "So I can commit this to memory."
With a growl of anger, Jean thrashed about in his wires, causing great alarm to Marco.
"Jean, calm down!" he urged, clinging ever tightly to Jean's hips as they began to swing about unsteadily. "She's just kidding!"
"Yeah, I am," you said in your most casual, deadpan voice. ...About halfway, said the little devil in your head. With mild-mannered patience, you waited for Jean to finish letting it out of his system. The ill-tempered young man finally became docile once more, limply letting his arms hang in a defeated matter. With his pride shot to pieces, it was obvious he had long since ceased to give a fuck.
Satisfied at the fact that the jackass himself was properly humbled, you took on a more serious tone. "Rescue missions like these require the help of multiple personnel. The both of you are pretty much dangling over a pond, after all."
You stood up on your branch. "I'll mosey off and look for help. You two just...keep hanging around, yes?"
"Don't leave us in suspense," Jean snarked up at you.
You flashed him your best shit-eating grin. "Hey, I'll be back. Don't worry!" With that, you shot off a set of wires and flew off of your branch, disappearing into the maze of trees. The two boys were left to dangle in relative quiet and solitude once more.
After a moment of tense, awkward silence, Marco finally spoke up. "Jean. I'm really, really sorry."
Jean's pride was a bloody wreck, but he no longer had the energy to vent his frustrations. Calming down at last, he simply sighed, head still resting against Marco's crotch.
"It's fine, Marco," he muttered. "Just... no sudden movements, okay?"
"Mm. Got it," Marco replied, gingerly repositioning his head in a slightly more comfortable position underneath Jean's hips. And then he blinked, eyes drifting out into the forest air. "...Oh, I think she's coming back already!"
Sure enough, the familiar zip of wires filled the air, as did a multitude of different voices. A handful of people were making their approach. In spite of everything that had happened so far, Jean finally felt his heart lift.
"Brilliant. Who did she bring?"
"... Hold on... let me see." Marco cut himself off, suddenly hesitant. When Jean made an inquiring noise, he spoke in a more nervous voice. "...Jean, do you think you could open your legs a little?"
A pause. "...What?"
"So I can see through."
Rolling his eyes in utter disbelief, Jean obliged. What the hell. It wasn't as though things could get any worse from here.
Within seconds, Marco had the answer. And yet strangely enough, it sounded as though he were reluctant to tell Jean, who became irritable once more.
"Spit it out already, Marco." Jean snapped. "Who did she bring?"
Marco did a double-take, just to confirm what he was seeing.
"...She brought Eren. And Mikasa."
Hearing this, Jean blanched. Mentally, he smacked a palm against his forehead.
... Fuck my life.
---
By dinnertime, word had spread throughout the entire regiment. The girls were giggling to no end, and Connie Springer was absolutely determined not to let Jean live it down. Though the two Brothers-in-Arms continued to sit together as they always did, their mutual embarrassment was enough to merit an extra foot of distance between them. They ate their dinner in silence, both still red-faced as the air was filled with chatter all around.
They left the mess hall together. Marco took the opportunity to try and cheer up Jean, who was still seething.
"Don't be like that, Jean," he smiled nervously. "All things considering, it could have gone a lot worse. Especially, considering how dangerous it is to get into an accident with the 3D Maneuvering Gear. We were lucky that only our pride suffered any injury in the end, thanks to [First] discovering us in the first place..."
Lucky, my ass. Jean thought sourly, not feeling the slightest consolation.
Marco went right on, as cheerful as could be. "And regardless of you might think, Jean... I really don't think Mikasa is the sort of person who would laugh at that sort of-"
Big mistake.
Jean lunged at Marco, forcefully pinning the slightly taller boy to the side wall of the building, a wiry hand clamped over his mouth. Marco was taken completely by surprise, unable to react to this sudden attack. His eyes widened and stared with bewildered expression over the hand that was covering his face, while Jean glared at him narrowly.
"I swear to God, Marco, one more word-" he uttered, bearing down with a fierce stare.
...That was when Marco lifted a finger into the air to grab his attention, and pointed into the air behind him. Filled with a sudden dread, Jean turned around, already anticipating...
His eyes flew wide open at the sight of you standing there, quietly watching this peculiar chain of events with a captivated stare. As Jean's hands immediately flew off of Marco's person, you clicked your tongue in slight disappointment.
"Oh, don't stop on my account," you told them, as Marco removed himself from the wall and mildly dusted himself off as though nothing untoward had ever happened. "By all means, just go right on doing... whatever it is you two were doing." You tilted your head to the side in contemplation. "Hm, what was it called? I know I've heard the term before ...Let's see. 'Male-bonding'?"
Jean palpitated. You grinned.
"Aha. Bingo."
"Knock it off, [First]..." Jean growled, breaking away from you and dragging a hapless Marco along by the arm. "Go back to your dorm and leave us alone."
"Oh, not a problem," you said brightly, trotting right after them in light, cheerful steps. "Don't mind me. I mean, I'd hate to get in the way of a perfectly sublime bromance."
Jean stopped in his tracks. Both men turned red and stared at you, jaws hanging open.
"Damn it, [First]!" Jean raised his voice. "It's not what you're thinking!"
"Mm-hm." You hummed, smiling agreeably.
Jean furrowed his brows at you. "...What's with that look?"
Your face became as innocent as the summer sky. "Hm? Nothing."
Marco looked back and forth between the two of you nervously as Jean let out an exasperated sigh, placing his hands on his hips. "Let me guess. This is payback that one time I pissed you off, isn't it?"
"Pray tell, exactly which 'one time' might you be referring to?" You snarked back. "Because I can name plenty."
"C'mon, you two," Marco protested, holding both hands in the air and trying to ease the two of you away from each other. "Don't fight."
"It's cool Marco, don't worry." you reassured him, as brightly as ever. "Kirschtein's earned his reprieve for today."
Jean rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Yes, because you love to take pleasure in my embarrassment, don't you? The Firefly from Hell we all know and love." He shrugged, suddenly smiling crookedly. "Well, that'll explain why you're so abnormally cheerful today."
You twisted your lips in am exaggerated frown. "How is that abnormal? I'm always in a good mood." This was rather classic coming from you, the scary chick from hell with a bad attitude and a shit mouth, who shattered the kneecaps of many a man who dared to get on your bad side.
Knowing this (and on a first-hand basis at that), Jean shuddered, "So you've always been cheerful? Now, that's just bloody terrifying."
"Watch it, you." Reaching out with a hand, you smacked a palm down upon the top of his head and held it there, shoving it down. Jean lurched forward. You took the opportunity to sling an arm around the back of his neck, leaving it hanging there casually and preventing him from moving away.
Turning your gaze alongside, you gave Marco a predatory grin, to which he returned a nervous, fearful smile. Before he could back away and escape, you lunged forward and likewise trapped him around the shoulders with your other arm, dragging Jean along with you.
You let out a triumphant grin, pleased with the fact that you now had each arm wrapped over the necks of your two favourite fellow trainees. Somehow, neither of them seemed all that inclined to fight you off, giving up to your domineering manner without so much of a struggle. With that, you marched off with both men under duress, heading straight towards the proving grounds.
"C'mon, you two," you told them both with a savage laugh, ruffling their heads. "Just an hour until light's out. Enough time for a bit of martial arts practice, don't you think?"
Suffering the same pain, Marco and Jean glanced sidelong and exchanged a look. Both of them grinned weakly at each other, clearly thinking the same thought. 'What the heck... we'll just let her get away with it, as we always do.'
Jean was forced to stoop under the weight of your arm as you shamelessly led them along, amidst the stares of curious (and greatly amused) trainees. Growing acutely aware of your bodily warmth, Jean felt a strange flutter in his chest. Deliberating for a moment, he lifted an arm with the intent to wrap it around your waist. Just to steady himself, of course. That was the only reason.
His arm bumped into something. It was the arm of Marco, who had apparently had the same intention Jean had harbored. The sudden and unexpected contact startled them both, and so the two boys stared at each other once again with bewildered expressions. All the while, not noticing a thing, you continued to chatter freely above their heads. To the ears of both Jean and Marco, your bright voice was a strangely uplifting sound in the dead of night - like music.
"..." "..."
With a look of mutual agreement, both boys relented and allowed their to arms drop to their sides. Silently, they both decided that for the time being, it was best just to share the presence of their beloved Sister-in-Arms.
---End Bonus Chapter---
In which Marco and Jean are caught in a rather compromising mid-air position.
(Notes: This short piece is bonus material for my ongoing fanfiction project, 'Just Be', a reader-insert series based on a ship between Jean Kirschtein and a Tsundere!Reader. This 'bonus chapter' was written for reader requests, and also to express my gratitude for this fic's 100 Watchers. Thank you so much, guys. ^^
This chapter takes place approximately a week or two before graduation, while the trainees are practicing their 3D-Maneuvering. The plot was inspired by the sketch above, drawn by moni158. Permission from the respective artist has been granted to use the idea and to use the sketch as the preview image. Thanks so much, moni158!
Warnings for language and suggestive themes. Do enjoy. 8D)
---
A click of irritation escaped your lips.
"That jackass is showing off again," you muttered, swinging out your legs in a restless manner.
Sitting perched upon a high branch, you gazed out narrowly into the forest vista, where a familiar lean-bodied soldier was busy perfecting mid-air choreography under the morning sunlight. As you sat on your ass, loafing around in a tree without much care for the training session at hand, Jean Kirschtein extravagantly pulled out all the stops with his repertoire. Hair-pin turns, glides, horizontal spins, advanced turns, double-flips, and other complicated maneuvers you could barely follow with the naked eye...
Though your pride would never allow you to admit it, you had a profound, yet grudging respect for the guy's talent for airborne mobility. And you'd be a piss-poor liar if you said it didn't infuriate you to some degree. It was as though the loud-mouthed bastard never made mistakes - even if he did, they were quickly polished out by his sublime sense of reaction - and the bastard knew it. Worse yet was the fact that he was a frequent braggart, and was quick to criticize (or outright belittle) others if he found fault with their technique.
You, in particular, were a favourite target for his condescension. And in your mind, there was no wonder why. He wasn't about to let you get too proud of yourself.
A light-hearted chuckle could be heard from the sidelong direction, from the black-haired, freckled soldier standing on the branch right next to you.
"He just doesn't want to be outdone by you, is all," Marco said kindly, as pleasant as ever. "The way things stand, you two are more or less on par when it comes to your 3D Maneuvering technique. You're a worthy contender for the top ten, and he knows that."
Well yeah, if my striking angle didn't suck so much ass, I'd probably be in 7th place or something, you thought to yourself, frowning. My technique is not as polished as Jean's, so surprise attacks are the only thing I have going for me...
You yawned loudly ...Ugh. So tired. As much as you would have loved to fly out there and give Jean a well-placed boot to the head (as a way telling him not to be so cocky), your mental processes were screaming for sleep right now. Every muscle in your body felt sore and overtaxed. That, and the tree you were sitting on was starting to feel a little too comfortable for you to stay alert. Your puffy eyelids were starting to droop.
A sunrise person, you were not.
"Don't know why he's so enthusiastic this early in the day. This is a free practice session," you told Marco blearily. "It's not like we're being graded, or anything." Massaging your aching shoulders, you squinted out into the distance and scowled. "...God. Just look at him, busting out the gymnastics at this blasphemous hour."
Jean was in the midst of performing his signature move, kicking off of a branch feet first into the air and allowing his legs to lead the rest of his body into a mid-air half-circle spin. As he landed within conversational distance, you decided - what the heck, might as well give him some attention for his efforts.
"Hey, Kirschtein!" you called out to him, wearing your best Sunday Smile. "That aerial mating dance of yours is actually starting to look remotely fabulous for once! Just so you know, if you're out to impress Mikasa, she's on the other side of the forest! With Jaeger!"
Whirling around to glare at you, Jean flashed you his trademark shit-eating grin.
"Oh, now that's just bloody clever of you, [Last]!" he retorted, teeth bared. "Tell me, do you plan to spend all morning in that tree collecting splinters with your ass, or are you actually planning to get some training done?"
"Screw you!" you shot back, still grinning savagely with dark-circled eyes. "I'm taking a rest right now!"
Jean expressed his concern for you in the most elegant way possible. "You look like you need it, Firefly. Your face looks like shit."
You twitched on your branch. "Oho, what was that? Didn't quite catch it. Care to come a little closer and repeat that?"
By the time you climbed back onto your feet, Jean had already kicked off into the air, not intent on sticking around for the righteous beatdown you were itching to unleash on him. Lacking the energy to go on one of your usual rampages after him, you lowered yourself back to a sitting position as the copper-blonde soldier disappeared into the trees.
Just his favourite way of looking after me, you thought, vowing to exact punishment upon him later. For now, though, you were too exhausted to give much of a shit.
As you yawned, wide-mouthed, Marco tilted his head towards you with a look of mild concern.
"Not enough sleep?" he inquired anxiously.
"Mm," you murmured drowsily, blinking your swollen eyelids. "Woke up in the middle of the night. ... Had a bad dream of being gnawed on by a Titan." You paused, shuffling uncomfortably. "I could literally feel my scalp being pulled off my skull. ...It hurt."
Marco turned around fully to stare at you, gaping with horror.
"...Are you serious?" He whispered, eyes widening. "My God... that's terrible!"
"Sure was," you muttered in a deadpan tone, rubbing your aching scalp. "...Turns out Sasha was eating chunks of my hair in her sleep."
All tension deflated in that moment. Marco's shock faded into one of harmless surprise. "What. Again?" He asked, blinking incredulously.
"Yeap," you muttered, wearing a revolted sort of grimace. "After that, I went straight to the baths to get all of the drool out... by the time I returned, there was the breakfast bell. As if I wasn't already too scared shitless to go back to sleep." Subconsciously, you combed your fingers through the locks of your slightly damp hair, convinced that it was still sticky with Sasha's saliva.
You gazed up at Marco with bloodshot eyes. "So as you can see, there's a legitimate reason as to why I look and feel like utter crap today."
Marco hummed sympathetically, still staring at you with genuine concern.
Your head began to droop.
"You go on ahead, Marco," you told him, waving off the freckled soldier. "Kirschtein needs someone to entertain him. I'm going to take a nap."
"In a tree?" Marco asked. "Are you sure that's wise?"
"Considering the fact that I'm just about ready to pass out on my wires anyway... yeah." You fluttered a hand over your mouth to cover a poorly-suppressed yawn. "Look, Marco, I've already anchored myself and everything. I just need you to not let the Instructor find out. Fifteen minutes is all I need. It'll be cool, I promise."
You smiled sleepily at him. "Better than accidentally crashing into a tree, or someone else in mid-air."
Marco looked doubtful, but your insistence (bull-headedness, more like) convinced him otherwise. He smiled warmly at you. "...Alright. Rest up. I won't wander too far. ...See you in fifteen, then?"
"Sure. Thanks, Marco."
With one last smile, he took to the air. You watched him fly off, feeling your eyelids sinking like weights. Within the span of a breath, you wound up nodding off peacefully on your branch, head resting gently against the sturdy tree trunk. Sure enough, your wires kept you from falling off, allowing you to enjoy a comfortable nap, surrounded by nothing but the peaceful ambiance of the forest all around... with the occasional zip of wires in the open air...
"Jean! LOOK OUT!"
"Huh?! ... Oh, mother FUCK-!"
CRASH.
"Wha...!!" At the frightening clamor, you flew awake, eyes snapping open and looking in every which direction possible. Your bewilderment annihilated the need for sleep. A shot of adrenaline spurred your body into action. Retracting your wires, you stood up and stared out into the forest, wondering what the flying fuck had happened.
Oh, shit. An accident?!
The birds, startled by the noise of the mid-air collision, quickly scattered into the air. Marco and Jean were nowhere to be found. That said... you concentrated and squinted your eyes into the distance.
You determined that the source of the commotion was not terribly far off. If you hurried...there was yet still a chance that you could help. That said, your heart suddenly felt fit to burst with panic. Fearing greatly for the safety of both Marco and Jean, (yes you were worried for that cocky bastard too), you fired off a pair of wires and catapulted yourself into the forest labyrinth, in search of the two men.
---
...It took a full minute for the stars to fade from Jean's vision. His head hurt and his body felt strangely crushed, but better than to feel nothing at all, yes? By the time he was able to determine that he was still alive and coherent with all limbs intact, he snapped his senses to full awareness and began to take collection of the current situation at hand. These were his first thoughts once that was done.
'... Well. This pretty much achieves a whole new level of awkward.'
The last thing he remembered right before the collision was realizing a breath too late that he had wandered right into the path of Marco's swing. From there, the rest was history. It was such an amateurish mistake that Jean felt like he might swallow his dual blades with embarrassment. That'll teach him to pay attention, instead of showing off.
And as if that wasn't humiliating enough...
Marco, his most trusted Brother-in-Arms, was slowly coming awake, his freckled features furrowed into a slightly pained frown. Once he too realized what had happened and where he was now, his eyes immediately blinked wide open in a startled expression. A stunned silence befell the two of them until finally Marco deigned to comment on their...current position.
"Jean. This is..." he uttered, flabbergasted.
Jean was audibly cringing in disbelief. "Tell me this isn't happening, Marco."
"You and I, we're..." the freckled young man started, only to be brutally cut off.
"Don't say it, Marco," Jean snarled. "Don't you fucking dare."
An awkward pause.
"... Y'know, Jean," Marco spoke with nervous cheerfulness. "You have to admit, the two of us are in a rather ridiculous position right now."
"DAMMIT, Marco."
Putting it bluntly, the two young men were bound tightly in mid-air, torsos squished together, wrapped up in a hopeless mess of wires. Adding insult to embarrassment was the fact that they now dangled from the trees some precarious distance above the ground, moving back and forth together in a gentle swing. Like a pendulum.
Try as he might, Jean couldn't budge his arms an inch - they were pinned flat against his back. And as if that wasn't enough, pressing snugly against his own taut, lean body was Marco's tall and sturdy form. Both young soldiers were athletic and considerably well-muscled, so quite frankly... Jean found the bodily pressure a little painful. Even more disconcerting was the fact that somewhere along the way, his legs ended up tangling with Marco's, crushing their hips together.
But perhaps most distracting of all was the fact that Marco's face was barely more than an inch away from his own, giving Jean a much closer view of those good-natured, freckled features than he had ever seen before - or was comfortable with. Bewildered eyes locked with his own, unbearably close. The two of them were practically nose-to-nose.
Is this my punishment for making fun of [First]? he wondered incredulously, cringing. Oh, Karma. You wailing bitch.
What set the ill-tempered trainee further on edge was the fact that Marco was now stirring and shifting against him in an agitated manner. This close, he could feel practically everything at this point, and it was rather maddening.
"Quit that, Marco!" he snapped irritably. "Do you want to make us fall, or what?!"
"Sorry, Jean!" Marco said apologetically. "I can't help it. This is just a little..." His face moved back to look at Jean...
...causing their noses to accidentally brush.
"...awkward." Marco finished the sentence, his voice a startled murmur.
No shit, smartass. Jean thought crossly. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to suppress his temper. Right. No point in getting angry. Now was the time to just calm down and think of a solution. ...Which hopefully involved getting the two of them safely untangled as soon as was bloody possible. But before he could do that, he had to be absolutely sure it was safe to even move. Were the grappling points secure, at least? His narrow, hawk-like eyes were soon on the move...
Marco's face, innocuous expression and all, blocked his view completely. Jean had hoped to tilt his head towards the upward direction, but thing was, he and Marco weren't even hanging vertically straight down. It was more of a slight leaning angle really... and right now, (much to Jean's infuriation) Marco was more the one on top. No matter how much Jean strained to lean his head back as far as was possible, Marco's face never hovered more than a few inches away.
... Alright, calm the fuck down, Jean, the copper-blonde soldier reminded himself. Just ascertain the situation, and then figure a way out from there. It's what you're best at, remember?
"Marco." he said simply. The black-haired lad blinked at him, attentive as ever. Huh. Those dark eyes were actually a sort of a warm, deep chestnut hue close up, Jean suddenly noticed. Ahem. "...Can you duck down a bit? I need to look up to see where our wires are attached."
Marco gave a slight nod. Slight, and still they managed to bump foreheads. "Sure, I can do that."
As Marco carefully lowered his head, Jean craned his neck backwards and tilted his face upwards to the treetops, his chin coming to rest on a soft bed of black, glossy hair. With his friend's head nestled snugly underneath (and tickling him), Jean could feel Marco's nose poking into the line of his collarbone. All the while, the weight of Marco's thickly muscled body continued to bear down on him, through no fault of their own - that was just gravity doing what it did best.
Was that of any consolation to Jean? Abso-fucking-lutely NOT.
Scowling in concentration, Jean allowed his amber eyes to follow the trail of wires that led up into the branches above. Within seconds, he was able to discern the situation from there. "Okay, good," he breathed out a sigh of relief. Marco's own breath tickled at his neck, right where the collar of his shirt opened. "We're secure. Those anchors won't be breaking anytime soon. ...We just need to untangle ourselves is all."
Easier said than done. Removing his chin from the top of Marco's head and lowering his face, Jean directed his attention, towards the length of wires that left him and Marco entrapped. He tried to move his left hand. It was tied up. Right hand? Also tied up. His legs? They were tangled with Marco's, right up to the point where their hips were locked together. ... At this rate, the most he could hope to do is wriggle his way out...
"Jean..." Marco murmured uneasily. The two were now eye-to-eye once more. "You mind... moving your face a little?" He paused, strangely timid. "...You're a little close. And your breath... is kind of... tickling me."
...Tickling his lips, Jean realized, with a slight spur of horror. Obliging, the copper-blonde soldier quickly turned his head to stare in the other direction. There. At least if 'anything' happened now, like another 'accident' ... at least it would be on the cheek. Still would be bloody mortifying though, even if this involved his best friend.
...Correction - ESPECIALLY if it involved his best friend!
"Oi... Marco. Are you able to get your one of your hands free?" Jean asked, amber eyes glancing downwards.
"Yeah," Marco replied. Jean felt even more shuffling against the surface of his body, causing him even more discomfort. (Good God, was that Marco's thigh sticking in between his legs?) "...I think I can get both of them loose, actually."
"Brilliant." Jean's mood lifted. Something was finally going right. "Let's see... think you can reach behind me and untangle my arms? They're pretty much pinned to my back right now."
"...Mm. Sure, I can try that," Marco murmured. Somehow to Jean, his voice felt unnervingly close, to the point of faintly brushing against the sensitive curve of his ear. ...And after everything that had happened up until this point, this just had to be one the thing that finally caused his face to redden. Stubbornly glaring in the other direction entirely, Jean decided that he had never felt more grateful than for the fact that Marco couldn't see the look on his face.
Wriggling himself partially free, Marco leaned in a little closer, bringing his arms around Jean's bound form in order to reach his back. Wrapped up in those broad, muscular shoulders, Jean felt a little crushed in this awkward and rather unwilling embrace. That said, he forced himself not to cringe away - Marco wouldn't be able to reach the wires keeping his hands tied up otherwise.
Somewhere behind him, Marco's hands fluttered around blindly in search of those accursed wires. Those arms continued to stretch and strain against his sides an agitated Jean fought to keep his patience under wraps. All in all, there really should be no reason for him to lose his cool. He clenched his eyes shut, determined to lose himself in his thoughts while Marco continued scrambling aimlessly. His breathing calmed, allowing his chest to heave a little less violently than before.
Besides, considering the motions and physical closeness involved, all he had to do was consider this as some kind of hug, right? A very odd sort of hug, but completely harmless nonetheless. Hugs weren't bad. (And by Jean's own private opinion, they actually felt kind of nice.) All he had to do was think of it as though Marco was simply hugging him... as close Brothers-in-Arms often did. Therefore, this was totally normal and platonic. No need for panic, or any emotion that was untoward...
... Jean abruptly blinked his eyes open when he felt the unexpected squeeze of Marco's palm.
"That's not my hand, Marco," he remarked pointedly, in his absolute most deadpan voice.
"Huh?" ....The moment he suddenly realizing where he was grabbing, Marco looked utterly mortified. His hands immediately flew right off. "Pardon me...! I honestly thought that was-"
"S'alright, Marco," Jean muttered through clenched teeth, determined not succumb to his frustration. Even so, his face was starting to burn. "Keep trying. Just... anywhere but there. Please."
After a few more minutes of hopeless fishing around, Marco sighed in exasperation. Even a saint with near boundless patience had his limits, it seemed.
"Sorry, Jean," he murmured, apologetically. "I'll have to lean in a bit closer, so I can get a better look over your shoulder." He paused. Jean could feel the temperature rising in Marco's face. "You don't mind... do you?"
"..." Jean was just about ready to damn everything to hell at this point, without another care in the world. "Yeah." he said simply. "It's fine." No it wasn't fine, but god damn it to fuck- "Just go ahead."
With that, Marco leaned his head further inwards, brushing past Jean's ear, coming in as close as he could possibly be. No matter how much Jean tried to distract himself, he remained acutely aware of the other male's chin resting snugly upon his shoulder, digging further in... Jean swallowed thickly, the sharply-defined musculature of his throat tightening around his Adam's Apple. The surface of his skin suddenly felt close to burning, like a fever... And was that Marco's face partially buried against the side of his neck?
Faintly, he felt Marco's hands maneuvering around the wires behind him, not quite so aimless as before, but still setting his nerves on edge. Remember, Jean. Just a hug, he reminded himself stubbornly. ...A hug that was a little more crushing and intimate than he was accustomed to...
"Any minute now, Marco," Jean remarked dryly. At least he could take solace in the fact that he was up here hanging out to dry with his most trusted friend. Had it been anyone else - not least of all goddamn Jaeger - Jean was absolutely certain that he surely would have murdered someone by now.
And yet, in all honesty, Jean was a little amazed at the way his friend was handling things. (Oh God, that pun.) The ever-patient Marco neither panicked nor lost his temper at Jean, nor did he lose his cool in the face of embarrassment on a world-class scale. Though they both dangled at a deathly height, he was as calm and accommodating as could be, working tirelessly to free Jean's arms from those wires. Quite frankly, Jean was a little amazed. For a while, he was content to let his friend do his work and stay perfectly silent, just listening to the quiet hum of Marco's voice, the faint sigh of his breath...
"...Jean," Marco suddenly murmured, holding his breath in anticipation. "I think I got it-"
Jean's eyes widened as the net of wires suddenly loosened and began to unravel away from his form. He felt something give a little - and not in a good way.
"Wait - No, Marco! NOT THAT ONE-"
A length of wire flew free, destabilizing the one force that had kept Jean hanging upright. The forces of gravity suddenly took over, causing him to slip from Marco's grasp in a terrifying freefall towards the ground.
"JEAN!"
Marco reacted in a split-second, arms wrapping tightly around Jean's form just as he fell. ...The copper-blond soldier let out a garbled noise as his face was squished up against Marco's midsection.
SNAP!
One of the wires broke from its grappling points, causing both men to plummet in a mid-air roll as their bindings unraveled from around them. Letting a yell that echoed throughout the tranquil forest maze, Jean found himself tumbling uncontrollably towards the ground with Marco, until he no longer knew up from down-
...There was a sudden stop. High above them, the remaining wires remained taut, preventing them from falling another inch further.
Jean let out a muffled groan. Judging from the way the forces of gravity sent blood and pressure through his neck and into his head, he was most certainly upside down now. Great. Upside-down where?
When he blinked his eyes opened, there was nothing but darkness, and his face was squished up against something soft like fabric. Something suspicious. Slowly putting one and one together, but not daring to believe it, he shifted his head an inch back...
...His eyes widened to the point where they bulged. Right at his nose was the fly of Marco's trousers.
From that point on, figuring what had happened was absolute history. Somewhere in the course of their fall, Jean and Marco had managed to untangle themselves - only to inadvertently collide in mid-air yet again. And now they were back to square one, tied up and suspended precariously in the air, swinging back and forth haphazardly. ...But this time, the two soldiers were now stuck in completely different and far more mortifying position...
Which immediately begged the question. Where was Marco NOW?
Someplace above, where Jean's legs stuck out in awkward angles through the air, a muffled and frantic voice suddenly rang out. "....Fff..mph...gh...!!"
"..." Jean wanted nothing more than to smack his head against a tree. Of all the damn places to feel the buzzing vibration from Marco's voice, it just had to be down there. That being said, considering where his own face was pressed against. Jean himself was in no better position than was Marco. Worse in fact - at least Marco wasn't the one hanging upside-down.
Something shifted against the top of his head, squishing his neck slightly. Jean was nestled headfirst against Marco's thighs, his arms hanging helplessly below him. Quite frankly, he wished he were back to staring nose-to-nose at his friend's face instead.
After a struggle (which Jean distinctly felt), Marco managed to angle his face away from Jean's crotch, gasping for air. The first words that left his mouth were frantic. "Jean? Where are you?!"
"Down here." Came the deadpan reply. Unable to see his friend's face, Jean simply shut his eyes, and waited while Marco looked around and made his own assessment of the situation. All the while, he struggled to ignore the highly uncomfortable and inappropriate sensation... of Marco's head shifting against his groin.
It didn't help either that Marco was clinging to him for dear life, arms wrapped up towards his hips and - God damn it, I TOLD him not to grab me there!
"Jean, I..." Marco uttered, in the most uncomfortable manner possible. "... I really...don't know what to say."
"...Then don't - say - a - word." Jean hissed through clenched teeth, emphasizing each syllable. It went without saying that where bad had initially gone to worse, worse had just shot straight to flat-out apocalyptic. If only Jean knew what was yet to come...
More goddamn shuffling. Still trapped against Jean's form, Marco began twisting and straining against the wires that wrapped around them - the absolute last thing that Jean needed right now when he was in the perfect position to feel practically everything, right down to the smallest movement. Needless to say, that managed to aggravate him more than the fact that their current circumstances were downright dangerous.
"Damn it, Marco!" Jean snapped, legs jerking slightly in the air. "Stop moving your head around like that!"
"I can't help it," Marco protested, still clinging tightly to the side of Jean's thighs. "Your crotch is in my face."
"I'm aware, Marco," Jean muttered in a sharply drawn breath, fiercely biting down his temper. "I am well aware."
The two of them continued to dangle there helplessly, in that absurd position, not making a single shred of progress. Finally, Marco sighed in resignation. "You know what? I think at this rate, we may as well try to attract help at this point. I don't see how we can get ourselves out of this situation otherwise."
Amber eyes widening, Jean was shot with panic as Marco suddenly shouted into the open air. "Hello?! Can someone please lend us a hand? Reiner? Mikasa? Armin? Anyone out there?!"
Jean yelled. "MARCO, NO-" Face turning red, he jerked his body violently in an erratic twitch, causing Marco to yelp as one of Jean's thighs hit the top of his head.
By this time, even Marco's nerves were starting to wear thin. "For crying out loud, Jean, I know what you're thinking. But at this rate, things are getting desperate - we need someone to call in a rescue team so that we can-"
"FUCK NO." Jean snarled obstinately, determined to guard the last shreds of his pride to the last breath. "It's bad enough we're in a position like this, the absolute LAST thing we need is for someone to wander right over and-"
He froze suddenly in mid-air, noticing something out of the corner of his eye.
"-see us."
Both Marco and Jean suddenly fell into a sudden hush, realizing at the same time that they were now graced by the presence of another. A witness to their ridiculous situation. Two sets of eyes drifted upwards, coming to rest near the branch of a tree. ...There you were, standing upon the limb, perched like a bird in the forest treetops.
Staring down at them, you stood stark still. Your eyes had blinked wide open, transfixed at the sight before you. Your lips were parted slightly in an opened-mouth expression of shock. From your vantage point, you had generous view of what exactly was going on - and then some. Knowing this...the faintest of smiles twitched at the corner of your mouth.
"Well, well..." you murmured in the most pleasant of voices, lowering yourself into a crouch for an even better look. Jean looked absolutely horrified and outraged by the sight of you.
You tilted your head to one side. "...Huh. Now this is something you don't see every day." You gazed upon the two tangled soldiers with an appraising look, eyes wandering up and down unabashedly. You reached up to stroke your chin with a thumb and index finger, looking greatly amused. "...Nice."
Jean's face erupted into a furious blush. Of all the people who just HAD to show up...
Marco had a much more positive reaction to your sudden appearance. "[First]! Thank goodness you're here! Can you believe it, Jean? We're saved!"
Hanging underneath, Jean expressed the extent of his enthusiasm in the most monosyllabic way possible. "... Just shoot me now."
Your retort came quick as a flash. "Well, that would be a bloody waste, wouldn't it?"
Jean bared his teeth up at you, eyes wide with rage. "I'm glad you find this so damn entertaining, [Last]," he hissed. "Just cut us loose. Right. Now."
"Actually, Jean, I don't think that's wise..." Marco said nervously, trying to stay ever the voice of reason. "We might seriously fall this time."
But Jean just exploded instead. "Marco, I'm about prepared to wreck my gums chewing through these goddamn wires with my teeth. JUST CUT US LOOSE."
"Jean, calm down-"
"I AIN'T BLOODY CALMING DOWN." The lean-bodied soldier glared up at you balefully. "For the love of God, [First]. Quit gawping and get us out of here, or so help me..." His words trailed off in a viciously threatening manner.
...You were completely unimpressed.
"Oho, you sure you want to take on that tone with me while your ass is up in the air?" you chirped at him, enjoying this moment to its fullest. Eventually though, you appeared to relent. "Alright, I get it. Calm your knickers and give me a minute."
"Whatever the hell for?" Jean demanded, shouting up at you.
Your answer was plain and simple. "So I can commit this to memory."
With a growl of anger, Jean thrashed about in his wires, causing great alarm to Marco.
"Jean, calm down!" he urged, clinging ever tightly to Jean's hips as they began to swing about unsteadily. "She's just kidding!"
"Yeah, I am," you said in your most casual, deadpan voice. ...About halfway, said the little devil in your head. With mild-mannered patience, you waited for Jean to finish letting it out of his system. The ill-tempered young man finally became docile once more, limply letting his arms hang in a defeated matter. With his pride shot to pieces, it was obvious he had long since ceased to give a fuck.
Satisfied at the fact that the jackass himself was properly humbled, you took on a more serious tone. "Rescue missions like these require the help of multiple personnel. The both of you are pretty much dangling over a pond, after all."
You stood up on your branch. "I'll mosey off and look for help. You two just...keep hanging around, yes?"
"Don't leave us in suspense," Jean snarked up at you.
You flashed him your best shit-eating grin. "Hey, I'll be back. Don't worry!" With that, you shot off a set of wires and flew off of your branch, disappearing into the maze of trees. The two boys were left to dangle in relative quiet and solitude once more.
After a moment of tense, awkward silence, Marco finally spoke up. "Jean. I'm really, really sorry."
Jean's pride was a bloody wreck, but he no longer had the energy to vent his frustrations. Calming down at last, he simply sighed, head still resting against Marco's crotch.
"It's fine, Marco," he muttered. "Just... no sudden movements, okay?"
"Mm. Got it," Marco replied, gingerly repositioning his head in a slightly more comfortable position underneath Jean's hips. And then he blinked, eyes drifting out into the forest air. "...Oh, I think she's coming back already!"
Sure enough, the familiar zip of wires filled the air, as did a multitude of different voices. A handful of people were making their approach. In spite of everything that had happened so far, Jean finally felt his heart lift.
"Brilliant. Who did she bring?"
"... Hold on... let me see." Marco cut himself off, suddenly hesitant. When Jean made an inquiring noise, he spoke in a more nervous voice. "...Jean, do you think you could open your legs a little?"
A pause. "...What?"
"So I can see through."
Rolling his eyes in utter disbelief, Jean obliged. What the hell. It wasn't as though things could get any worse from here.
Within seconds, Marco had the answer. And yet strangely enough, it sounded as though he were reluctant to tell Jean, who became irritable once more.
"Spit it out already, Marco." Jean snapped. "Who did she bring?"
Marco did a double-take, just to confirm what he was seeing.
"...She brought Eren. And Mikasa."
Hearing this, Jean blanched. Mentally, he smacked a palm against his forehead.
... Fuck my life.
---
By dinnertime, word had spread throughout the entire regiment. The girls were giggling to no end, and Connie Springer was absolutely determined not to let Jean live it down. Though the two Brothers-in-Arms continued to sit together as they always did, their mutual embarrassment was enough to merit an extra foot of distance between them. They ate their dinner in silence, both still red-faced as the air was filled with chatter all around.
They left the mess hall together. Marco took the opportunity to try and cheer up Jean, who was still seething.
"Don't be like that, Jean," he smiled nervously. "All things considering, it could have gone a lot worse. Especially, considering how dangerous it is to get into an accident with the 3D Maneuvering Gear. We were lucky that only our pride suffered any injury in the end, thanks to [First] discovering us in the first place..."
Lucky, my ass. Jean thought sourly, not feeling the slightest consolation.
Marco went right on, as cheerful as could be. "And regardless of you might think, Jean... I really don't think Mikasa is the sort of person who would laugh at that sort of-"
Big mistake.
Jean lunged at Marco, forcefully pinning the slightly taller boy to the side wall of the building, a wiry hand clamped over his mouth. Marco was taken completely by surprise, unable to react to this sudden attack. His eyes widened and stared with bewildered expression over the hand that was covering his face, while Jean glared at him narrowly.
"I swear to God, Marco, one more word-" he uttered, bearing down with a fierce stare.
...That was when Marco lifted a finger into the air to grab his attention, and pointed into the air behind him. Filled with a sudden dread, Jean turned around, already anticipating...
His eyes flew wide open at the sight of you standing there, quietly watching this peculiar chain of events with a captivated stare. As Jean's hands immediately flew off of Marco's person, you clicked your tongue in slight disappointment.
"Oh, don't stop on my account," you told them, as Marco removed himself from the wall and mildly dusted himself off as though nothing untoward had ever happened. "By all means, just go right on doing... whatever it is you two were doing." You tilted your head to the side in contemplation. "Hm, what was it called? I know I've heard the term before ...Let's see. 'Male-bonding'?"
Jean palpitated. You grinned.
"Aha. Bingo."
"Knock it off, [First]..." Jean growled, breaking away from you and dragging a hapless Marco along by the arm. "Go back to your dorm and leave us alone."
"Oh, not a problem," you said brightly, trotting right after them in light, cheerful steps. "Don't mind me. I mean, I'd hate to get in the way of a perfectly sublime bromance."
Jean stopped in his tracks. Both men turned red and stared at you, jaws hanging open.
"Damn it, [First]!" Jean raised his voice. "It's not what you're thinking!"
"Mm-hm." You hummed, smiling agreeably.
Jean furrowed his brows at you. "...What's with that look?"
Your face became as innocent as the summer sky. "Hm? Nothing."
Marco looked back and forth between the two of you nervously as Jean let out an exasperated sigh, placing his hands on his hips. "Let me guess. This is payback that one time I pissed you off, isn't it?"
"Pray tell, exactly which 'one time' might you be referring to?" You snarked back. "Because I can name plenty."
"C'mon, you two," Marco protested, holding both hands in the air and trying to ease the two of you away from each other. "Don't fight."
"It's cool Marco, don't worry." you reassured him, as brightly as ever. "Kirschtein's earned his reprieve for today."
Jean rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Yes, because you love to take pleasure in my embarrassment, don't you? The Firefly from Hell we all know and love." He shrugged, suddenly smiling crookedly. "Well, that'll explain why you're so abnormally cheerful today."
You twisted your lips in am exaggerated frown. "How is that abnormal? I'm always in a good mood." This was rather classic coming from you, the scary chick from hell with a bad attitude and a shit mouth, who shattered the kneecaps of many a man who dared to get on your bad side.
Knowing this (and on a first-hand basis at that), Jean shuddered, "So you've always been cheerful? Now, that's just bloody terrifying."
"Watch it, you." Reaching out with a hand, you smacked a palm down upon the top of his head and held it there, shoving it down. Jean lurched forward. You took the opportunity to sling an arm around the back of his neck, leaving it hanging there casually and preventing him from moving away.
Turning your gaze alongside, you gave Marco a predatory grin, to which he returned a nervous, fearful smile. Before he could back away and escape, you lunged forward and likewise trapped him around the shoulders with your other arm, dragging Jean along with you.
You let out a triumphant grin, pleased with the fact that you now had each arm wrapped over the necks of your two favourite fellow trainees. Somehow, neither of them seemed all that inclined to fight you off, giving up to your domineering manner without so much of a struggle. With that, you marched off with both men under duress, heading straight towards the proving grounds.
"C'mon, you two," you told them both with a savage laugh, ruffling their heads. "Just an hour until light's out. Enough time for a bit of martial arts practice, don't you think?"
Suffering the same pain, Marco and Jean glanced sidelong and exchanged a look. Both of them grinned weakly at each other, clearly thinking the same thought. 'What the heck... we'll just let her get away with it, as we always do.'
Jean was forced to stoop under the weight of your arm as you shamelessly led them along, amidst the stares of curious (and greatly amused) trainees. Growing acutely aware of your bodily warmth, Jean felt a strange flutter in his chest. Deliberating for a moment, he lifted an arm with the intent to wrap it around your waist. Just to steady himself, of course. That was the only reason.
His arm bumped into something. It was the arm of Marco, who had apparently had the same intention Jean had harbored. The sudden and unexpected contact startled them both, and so the two boys stared at each other once again with bewildered expressions. All the while, not noticing a thing, you continued to chatter freely above their heads. To the ears of both Jean and Marco, your bright voice was a strangely uplifting sound in the dead of night - like music.
"..." "..."
With a look of mutual agreement, both boys relented and allowed their to arms drop to their sides. Silently, they both decided that for the time being, it was best just to share the presence of their beloved Sister-in-Arms.
---End Bonus Chapter---
Suggested Collections
Special thanks to *moni158 for allowing me to use their sketch for the preview image and the idea as inspiration for this chapter! Link to original sketch [HERE]
[Warnings apply for language and suggestive themes 8D]
Once again, thanks so much for all your kind comments and for helping me reach the 100 watch count. XD Unfortunately this means that Part 12 is delayed slightly, but hopefully this'll keep you all entertained for the time being. =3 Cheerio~
[Warnings apply for language and suggestive themes 8D]
Once again, thanks so much for all your kind comments and for helping me reach the 100 watch count. XD Unfortunately this means that Part 12 is delayed slightly, but hopefully this'll keep you all entertained for the time being. =3 Cheerio~
© 2013 - 2024 cherrypikkins
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that’s actually so cute and funny