As they walked out the door Jean gently tugged on the collar of his shirt. Lucky for him Marco didn't mention the large amount of sweat accumulating on his face. Or maybe he just didn't notice, but that was highly improbable.

  Jean shut the door behind them, then he walked over to Marco's car door, and Jean opened it for him. Marco smiled gently at him, kissing Jean's  face before he sat down. Jean bent over to buckle Marco up, and returned a kiss on his forhead. Jean closed the door and walked to the other side before hopping in the driver's seat.

  No one turned on the radio. They just stayed quiet. The only music they needed was the sound of each other's breaths. Marco hummed some familiar tunes, gripping Jean's hand in his own while I relaxed to his heart's content on the drive.

  After some comfortable silence the drive became slightly dull, so Marco began to get antsy. "So, will you tell me where we're going now?" Marco asked with a pouty face.

  Jean laughed slightly and stared at the road ahead of him. "Not a chance Freckles. You have to wait to see." Jean stated with another one of his smirks. Marco hated it when Jean smirked, but he couldn't help but find it extremely cute too.

  Marco huffed and leaned back into his chair with a disgruntled sigh. He still had his only hand tightly wrapped around Jean's, and he was still confused about where they were going. "Jean, come on." Marco whined.

  Jean grinned and squeezed Marco's hand gently. "It's a surprise. I want to see your reaction, and I can't see it when I'm driving." He said softly.

  "Your lucky your cute, otherwise I'd keep arguing." Marco replied.

  "Lucky for you we're almost there though." Jean stated.

  Marco immediately perked up in his chair.

  "Just wait until we get there to get excited." Jean complied.

  He drove into a large parking lot and stopped the car. Jean turned to look over at Marco. "Hey Bodt. We're here. So uh, I thought you would like this, it's cool if you don't, but-"

  "Jean, this is amazing!" Marco unfastened his seat belt and attempted to hug Jean. "I love it!" Marco sighed happily.

  "Oh good!" Jean laughed nervously. "Oh, Reiner and Bert are here too. It's like a double date."

  "Awesome! Well, let's get to dancing! This is why we needed fancy clothes." Marco in realization.

  "Yep, this ball has a dress code. Lucky for you, all handsome men are allowed in." Jean stated.

  Marco blushed slightly. "That must be why you're here too." He laughed slightly. Jean began to chuckle. He jumped out of the car and ran to the passenger side.

  Jean opened the car door and enclosed Marco in the tightest of hugs. "Nah. I got a pass because my beautiful boyfriend. It's okay though, I'm not jealous, because like I said, you're my beautiful boyfriend." Jean chuckled slightly. He placed a quick kiss on Marco's freckled cheek.

  They waited for a short while for Bert and Reiner to show up. It didn't take long, but either way, Jean and Marco were happy in each other's company.

  The car slowly pulled into the parking lot, and it dragged to a stop next to Jean's car. "Hey guys!" Reiner shouted from an open window.

  Loud music blared from inside the car. Bert turned it down slightly, but it was still unusually loud. "Hey." Jean replied.

  "So, are you guys ready to dance, oh before you ask, I want to clarify one thing. It can get pretty crowded, but usually people don't pick a fight on the fruity people." Reiner stated.

  "Fruity?" Marco questioned.

  Reiner began to laugh boisterously. Bertholdt rolled his eyes and slapped Reiner gently. "'Fruity' is what Reiner calls homosexual people." Bert said with a small smile.

  Jean tossed his arm over Marco's shoulders. "Y'know, if you guys are ready we can go inside." Jean stated simply.

  "Alright, hold on." Reiner said, grumply, but he still carried a playful facade.

  "Oh! Hey wait, I need a picture of you." Jean said while walking towards Marco with a camera in his hands.

  "It's, fine Jean, I-"

  "Trust me Marco. It will look beautiful." Jean insisted with a genuine smile.

  "Alright." Marco agreed hesitantly.

  Jean smiled at him and held the camera up. Marco smiled at Jean. The camera shuttered and clicked. "Alright! I'll have to get that printed later." Jean said happily.

  Marco stood bashfully, a small blush of embarassment on his face. "Hey, don't be like that. You look great Freckles." Jean said gently. He placed a quick kiss on Marco's cheek.

  "Let's go." Bert said simply. They all trotted down to the mansion, where the ball was held.

  Classical music was played on a piano, and crowds of couples and people filled the room. Jean handed a guy the tickets and then he walked Marco in.

  "Wow, it's pretty classy." Marco stated, his face alight.

  "Yep. They've got a snack table and everything." Jean joked. Marco snickered at his comment, jabbing Jean in the side with his elbow.

  "The music is nice though." Jean stated. Marco smiled at him and nodded.

  "Hey guys, Bert and I have been working on a routine, so we'll go dance. As for you guys, have fun." Reiner said before walking with Bert to the dance floor.

  "You know, dancing doesn't sound too bad." Jean said with a suggestive tone.

  Marco laughed gently. "Oh, I'm not really that good at-"

  "I don't care. Come on Freckles. Let's dance." Jean said, walking closer to Marco.

  Marco bit his lip and placed his hand on Jean's hip. "Fine. Only because, I don't want to argue with you." Marco huffed.

  Jean smiled up at Marco and put his hands on Marco's shoulders.

  They slowly danced. Foot steps were placed lopsidedly and uneaven. They seemed very inexperienced, yet very happy. Jean's golden gaze was locked with Marco's deep brown eyes.

  They couldn't hold back their wide grins has they danced closely. Jean leaned up to catch a kiss on Marco's lips, and Marco happily kissed back. Everything was apsolutely perfect. Love filled their gazes.

  "Hey guys, do you wanna go out to eat after this, or are you too infatuated in yourselves?" Reiner butted in.

  "That sounds nice, what do you think Jean?" Marco questioned.

  "Fine with me if it's fine with you." Jean shrugged. Marco smiled happily.

  "Yeah, we'll go too." Marco stated gently.  The group walked out of the fancy ball room and out onto the parking lot.

  "You know, the flowers on these trees are really nice, but they smell like the stench that wafts from between a hooker's legs." Jean sneered. His comment might have been off handed, but they really did smell bad.

  Marco giggled slightly. "I guess you right, but that's a gross comparison." He laughed. Jean just shrugged.

  "Hey guys, meet us at the Chinese restaurant on Main Street." Reiner said. Marco nodded in agreement.

  "Huh, I guess I've never been there." Jean said.

  "Well, that's strange, but Maple Garden is a really nice restaurant. We might get funny looks for wearing these suits though." Marco laughed.

  "If we get looks from someone I'll punch them in their Addams apple." Jean stated, causing Marco to laugh. Marco grabbed Jean's arm with his arm, and they walked to the car together.

  * * *

  The car ride was pretty short, yet pleasant for the two. Jean's hand wrapped around Marco's, quiet talking, and casual kisses at stop signs.

  They pulled up to the small restaurant. It looked slightly run down, but nice altogether. Jean and Marco got out of the car and walked into the resturant. "How many are there?" A woman asked. She was short and chubby, yet looked like a happy person. She had beautiful hair and a pale face. Lastly, freckles dotted her face.

  "Oh we're here with two others." Marco said.

  "A big blonde guy, and a really tall guy?" She asked.

  "Yep, that would be them." Jean confirmed.

  "Cool, they're sitting over there. My name's Montana. What would y'all like to drink?" She asked.

  "I'll get a Coke, what about you Marco?" Jean questioned.

  "Sprite is good." Marco stated with a smile.

  Jean led Marco to the table that Reiner and Bertholdt were sitting at. "Hey, it's about time! What, were you guys making out before you got here?" Reiner joked, voice filled with mocking sarcasm.

  "Reiner." Bertholdt scolded, sending a dissaproving glance towards Reiner.

  "No, we were not." Jean growled. Reiner just shrugged in response before taking a sip of his tea.

  Montana walked to the table moments later, carrying the two drinks that Jean and Marco had asked for. "Here you go, would you like to order?" She asked casually.

  "Yeah, I'll get combination rice, and he'll like some egg drop soup." Reiner stated, pointing at Bert.

  "What do you want Marco?" Jean asked. Marco pondered silently for a moment.

  "I'll just get a combination plate with combination rice, a wonton, and egg drop soup." Marco said with a sweet smile. Jean smiled back before repeating Marco's order back to Montana.

  "I'll have the General Tso's chicken. Thank you." Jean said, trying his best to put off a good mood, lucky for him- or not- Montana smiled back in a friendly manner.

  She took the order to a small Chinese lady before walking over to a table with a family of six. One of the people Jean recognized used to teach at his school. It didn't matter too much to him, but it was kind of cool to see a familiar face.

  Soon Montana brought the food and they ate in mainly silence. Reiner himself would always make sarcastic jokes from time to time, causing scolding glances to burn off Bert. Marco laughed to every joke, even if they were stupid, and Jean could only roll his eyes about his boyfriend's weak sense of humor.

  A dull throbbing began in Jean's chest. There wasn't any explanation, it was just a feeling. Jean couldn't tell why he felt the way he did about this. The dull throbbing became a pounding. Much like a drum beats his heart punded, and he smiled. He smiled because he didn't need a reason ot be happy when he was with them. When he was Marco. Scratch that, Marco was his reason to be happy.

  Jean silently stretched his arm and left his hand open for Marco to intertwine their fingers. Marco didn't ask why Jean felt a sudden burst of happiness, he didn't need to.

* * *

  Jean walked through the door to his house. He didn't care to knock, his mother already knew he'd be there, and as for his dad, well, his dad was dead. Jean sat his clothes in the hall before walking over to the quiet living room.

  He hadn't been in this part of the house in years, but he still recognized it, even through all the filth his father left behind. Empty beer cans, dirty laundry, and cigarettes littered the once beautiful room. Jean's mother sat on the couch, a crying mess.

  Jean didn't speak, he just walked over to sit next to her. God, he hated his father, but his mother didn't, or at least the person he used to be. Jean didn't feel sorrow at the thought of his dead father, whom had recently died from a heart attack, no, Jean was just angry that his dad left behind Jean's broken mother.

  "Jeanboy. There is a letter for you." His mother croaked through sniffs. Jean still didn't respond, but he grabbed the envelope that lay on the dirty coffee table. He slowly opened it, the sound of paper ripping filled the room.

  Jean pulled out the piece of paper, which turned out to be a letter. The letter from the prestigious college he applied to many weeks earlier. This particular letter had been an acceptance letter, and it was exactly what he needed.

  Jean wanted to show his mother how excited he was, but after his stupid, parted father left her in a mess, he couldn't. He couldn't show her how happy he was to move on to the next chapter in his life, not when she was so torn apart. He just stayed quiet, and consoled her as she cried.

* * *

  "Come on Jean!" Marco whined, attempting to drag Jean across the aisle to look for baby clothes in the small Target.

  "Tell me why we're doing this again." Jean huffed.

  "Connie and Sasha will need baby clothes when their baby is born." Marco stressed.

  "Yeah, but she's only three months in. It will be a long time 'til the baby is born." Jean sighed.

  "So, it doesn't matter when we buy them. Also, we need to buy some baloons and paint for the baby shower." Marco said with a smile as he walked down the craft section.

  Jean rolled his eyes. "The baby shower won't even be held until she's  like seven months in!" Jean groaned.

  Marco laughed lightheartedly. "Like I said. We're just preparing early." He said with a lopsided smile.

* * *

  "Hey. Marco, I need to tell you something." Jean said, grabbing Marco's attention.

  "What is it?" Marco asked, he pulled his eyepatch off and sat it on the nightstand by his bed.

  "I got accepted to a college, and it will pay most of the expences." Jean said with a small smile.

  "That's great!" Marco said with a bright grin. Jean sighed, letting off a lot of steam.

  "But, The college is across the entire country." Jean said, looking at the floor.

  Marco's smile faltered, but he held his false gaze. Even though Marco looked completely crushed, he looked more proud than he ever had before.

  "Marco, I don't have to go, I can stay her-" Jean began.

  "No! I want you to go, don't give up your dreams for me. I'm really proud of you, I just wish you didn't have to move so far away." Marco sighed.

 
  "Marco, sweetheart, I wouldn't ever leave you forever. I'd always come back for you, remember?" Jean said walked closer to the bed where Marco was sitting.

  A few tears slipped down Marco's face as he stood and walked into Jean's grasp. Jean pulled Marco close.

  "I know. We can make this work." Marco said with a small smile.

  "I'd make anything work for you." Jean said, kissing Marco's forhead.

  It was silent for a while, Marco stayed wrapped in Jean's arms. Not by choice, a few words began to spill from Jean's mouth.

  "Come with me." It came out quick, not stuttering or missed words. Without flaw.

  "What?" Marco said, pulling away slowly.

  "Come with me, we can get an apartment and live there. It will suck, so much, but I'll have you, and you'll have me, we'll have eachother." Jean blurted swiftly.

  "I don't know Jean, what about the others? Sasha, Connie, Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Reiner, and Bert? I can't just leave them. I can't leave my mom either." Marco said quietly.

  Jean dropped, but didn't show any anger at the refusal. "Wait, hear me out. Stay here, and live with me every other semester. Or if you would like a shorter stay, come live with me every other nine week point. It will be so difficult, but you're strong, we can make it work!" Jean begged.

  "How about we sleep, I'll think on it. That idea might work though." Marco said with a smile. Jean smiled back before placing a soft kiss on Marco's lips.

  They crawled into the bed in their usual sleeping position, which always changed throughout the night, and they went to sleep. Yeah, they could make this work.