Chapter Text
The afternoon sun beat down on the football field as the drum major cut the band off, their final chords fading off into wind. Marco breathed heavily and his arms shook from the weight of his contra, but he waited for Armin’s signal to lower his horn. The march-off was slowly coming to an end, only the final ten students remained on the field by this point, Marco standing among them.
“Alright, go get some water before we continue.” Mr. Smith, the band director, called from the podium where he stood with Armin. Marco placed his contra down in his opening set before jogging to the sideline for a much needed water break. By now they had run through the entire show three times, each time run with less and less of its members. Last year Marco had made it to the top ten as well, but this year he was determined to at least place in the top three.
The rules of the march-off were simple - stay in step, dress to the form, and play your music. The last one standing on the field was given the once in a lifetime opportunity to throw a pie in Levi’s face at the end of the rehearsal. Everyone still had no idea how Mr. Smith was able to convince Levi to allow it, but the grumpy visual instructor usually took it with limited threats to the student. It was easier said than done, because now that so few students remained on the field the instructors could focus on individuals and watch every movement and listen to every note. Small details such as a lowered horn angle or a bent knee could mean the end.
After a few minutes of rest the remaining students returned to their starting positions on the field. This year the top ten consisted of only brass players, the guard captain, and, surprisingly, the entire snare line. Marco was the only tuba player remaining. Close by was Bertholdt and Ymir, their trombones held straight up and down in front of their chests. Somewhere behind him was Connie and Sasha, both trumpet players, their instruments held in the same fashion as the trombones. Eren, Reiner, Jean, and Porco made up the snares, and they were over on the other side of the field from the wind players. And lastly was Annie, the color guard captain, standing in front of Marco holding open the silk of her flag in her starting pose.
Marco’s arms began to tremble again as he held his contra in front of him, mindful not to let it lean on his chest or to not let his elbows come in towards his body; even though the run through hasn’t started yet Hange stood just in front of him and they would not hesitate to get him out before they had even begun.
Mikasa had replaced Armin atop the podium by now and was bouncing her hand up and down to set the tempo before finally raising her arms as she began conducting, and the freckled boy began counting in his head. The opening movement was simple enough, starting out with a baritone solo played by Colt - who had gotten out at the end of the previous runthrough because his horn angle had fallen too low - while the remaining members of the band marched in zigzags between the yard lines before facing back field and finally playing.
Once Marco started playing everything seemed to come naturally to him even though they had just learned the drill to their performance over the past week. It was difficult with 90% of the band standing on the sidelines and not marching around with him, but Marco was confident with his music and not even Levi would know if he was slightly off his dot since there was no one really left on the field to dress the form to.
Eld and Moblit, the two brass instructors for the band, hovered close by, listening for any mistake that Marco or the other horn players made in their music. At this point in the show the low brass and the percussion sections were close together, and Marco could see them out of his peripherals. Mike, the percussion tech, was following along in front of the drummers, his gaze focused on where their sticks hit their drums. He must have been making sure all their stick heights were matching each other, resorting to using the finest of details to get the boys out.
Marco marched on, following Connie through a follow-the-leader set before breaking off with Bertholdt and Ymir towards the 50-yard line where he would cross behind the drumline. The next few sets were always hard for the freckled boy to remember. Not because he had to cover a lot of distance in only a few measures or because his music was particularly hard at this point. No, Marco could handle that. These few sets put him right behind the snare line where he had a great view of the last names printed along the backs of the booty shorts they ceremoniously wore on the last day of band camp - with spandex underneath of course. The snares had been a distraction all week, his eyes always wandering across their bare backs, or along the curves of their butts, or even down to their toned calf muscles as they pushed themselves up on their toes as they marched by. The snare line was a distraction every year to Marco during band camp, but he was not about to allow the attractive drummers to get him out during his final march-off. Now was not the time.
Jaeger, Braun, Kirschtein, Galliard, he read as they passed by before tearing his eyes back up to the podium, silently praying that Eld didn't catch that he was supposed to be standing on the yard line during this stand still instead of two steps off. He was in line with both Bertholdt and Ymir beside him, though, and that was all that mattered at this point in time. Thankfully, Eld paid him no mind and the boy stepped off once again to transition into the final movement of the show.
In the corner of his vision Marco could see Oluo and Gunther now watching him. Eld was still walking in front of him, and Moblit was making his way over to the low brass again as well. Mike was still stalking over the snare line, though Marco could see his mouth moving, meaning one of the boys must have made a mistake. Levi and Petra were off at the front of the field keeping a close eye on Annie. It looked like only a few of the ten students were actually still in the March-off by now, since each instructor seemed focused solely on a single player.
Marco’s back ached and his arms were shaking under the weight of his contra, but he couldn’t let his form falter. For all he knew he could be the only wind player left at this point and all of the techs could be focusing only on him - any mistake he made would be caught. Eld was directly in front of him now, too, and if he missed even a single note then the blond would notice and it would be all over. Marco readjusted his contra on his shoulder during a bar of rest and took a deep breath, preparing himself for the final sets of the show. In a few moments he would be able to rest.
Coming to a halt in his final set, Marco blew into his horn, following Armin's lead as he led the band into a crescendo before cutting them off, stilling his hands in front of him. Marco’s chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, fatigue from a long day of rehearsal hitting him, but he couldn’t lower his horn. Not until Armin lowered his hands. Marco’s left arm, which bore most of the weight of his contra, began to buckle and come in towards his side just before Armin allowed them to bring their horns down. Marco prayed that no one had noticed.
“Bodt! I saw that.” Marco cursed himself as he rested his contra down on its bell. Leave it to Levi to notice such a tiny mistake even from his position on the front side line.
To his left, Bertholdt gave a sympathetic look. “Don’t feel bad. I got out too,” the tall trombone player said as he started walking off the field. Marco picked up his contra and followed behind his friend.
“Looks like we have a winner then!” Mr. Smith announced from next to Armin. Marco and Bertholdt stopped to see who was still standing on the field. It was Annie, which didn’t surprise Marco in the slightest. The small blond had grown up doing ballet, and when she joined the color guard once she got into high school she was quick to learn how to toss flags and weapons. She was dedicated to the band, and had become the color guard captain her junior year. Her icy stare always made her seem like she hated coming to rehearsals and being around so many people, but once she was out on the field performing she was one of the most expressive dancers Marco had ever seen. Though Marco was disappointed in himself for losing the march-off because of such a small detail, he was happy to see her win. She deserved it.
Mr. Smith climbed down from atop the podium, Armin right behind him. Levi still stood on the front sideline, his glare directed towards Annie. Annie didn’t seem affected in the slightest as she placed her flag down to take a sip of water.
“You guys did a good job back there!” Thomas, another contra player, said as he clapped Marco on the shoulder. “I really thought one of you guys would be the winner this year.”
“Yeah, well, it’s a little hard when we have Annie to compete with,” Ymir replied as she tossed her water bottle back on the ground.
“Maybe it’s for the best. I don’t think I’d be able to throw the pie in Levi’s face.” Marco added, laughing nervously. Bertholdt nodded in agreement beside him. Marco wasn’t one of the students on Levi’s bad side, but the short man was still very intimidating to the freckled boy.
“Alright everyone! Come gather ‘round!” Hange called from the middle of the field as they waved their hands around to call everyone over. They were surrounded by the rest of the staff with Levi standing to their left and Moblit to their right, the latter holding the pie. The students made their way off the sidelines and onto the field and gathered in front of the staff. Pieck stood off to one side with her camera around her neck, fiddling with the lens. She was a member of the front ensemble - a marimba player along with Krista - but she was also the band's librarian and one of her duties included taking pictures throughout the season so everyone could remember moments such as this one.
“Congratulations to Annie for winning this years’ march-off!” Hange continued. “Why don’t you step forward so you can claim your prize. Anything you want to say to the band or to Levi himself?” The blond stepped forward out of the crowd, keeping her face neutral as she stared at Hange, giving a quick shake of her head. Hange shoved Levi so he was standing face to face with Annie. Annie shifted her gaze to Levi and the two seemed to be having a silent face off. “Ok then! Once this is over with, band camp is officially over. You guys did a great job this week! Moblit, give her the pie!”
Moblit handed Annie the pie, which she took without breaking eye contact with the visual instructor. Last year's winner, Marcel, had at least attempted to make a joke or two, to which Levi told him to just get on with it already. This year the scene was almost tense - Annie was the only person who could meet Levi’s gaze without shying away. The faint click of a camera could be heard softly as Pieck snapped a few pictures of the staring contest laid out before them.
Without warning Annie raised the pie and slammed it straight into Levi’s face. The man didn’t even flinch as Annie pulled her hand away and smirked. The pie tin fell off Levi’s face and he caught it before it could hit the ground. Levi’s glare remained even with his face now covered in pie, though the corners of his lips twitched slightly under the cream filling.
Mr. Smith let out a hearty chuckle before addressing the band. “Alright kids, this wraps up this year's band camp! You all did a great job this week, and we were even able to learn the entire show. Classes start next week, so go out and enjoy your last weekend of summer. I will see most of you in class on Monday. You’re all dismissed!” With that the students dispersed and began to gather up their things before making their way back up to the school and into the band room.
Marco headed into the band’s locker room to put away his instrument. Inside already was the snare line, their cases spread out across the floor taking up most of the space in the room. The freckled boy stood off to the side in the cramped room, waiting patiently for some space to open up so he could open up his own instrument case. His eyes couldn’t help but wander across the backs of the boys in front of him, all still shirtless except for Jean who had thrown on a plain white t-shirt. Marco couldn’t help himself - he seemed to have a thing for cute drummer boys.
There was Reiner, the drum captain, with his broad shoulders and defined muscles. His body was built like a football players, and most people were shocked to learn that he was a part of the marching band instead. He was bent over trying to stuff his snare drum into its case the correct way, and Marco had to pry his gaze off of the name printed across his butt. Reiner was dating Bertholdt, and Marco sometimes felt guilty checking out his best friend's boyfriend.
Marco’s gaze shifted to Eren and Porco. Eren lifted his drum case above his head and up onto the top shelf while Porco hung up his harness on the make-shift coat rack, their back muscles shifting under the movement. Half of Eren’s hair was tied up in a messy bun, some of the strands sticking to his tanned neck. He turned to grab his bag to leave the locker room, Marco smiling into emerald eyes as he walked by. Marco could stare into those eyes forever if the other let him. Porco finished gathering up his things and started stuffing them into his backpack. His hair was still carefully styled back into place, with only a few strands out of place across his forehead, even after an eight hour rehearsal. Porco wasn’t as big as Reiner, but his body was still lean, with a hint of abs whenever he flexed his stomach muscles.
Lastly, there was Jean. Jean was new to Trost this year, moving across the state from a smaller school. Marco had yet to really talk to Jean, only a few words here and there when Marco was talking to another member of the snare line. Reiner spent the summer telling Bert and Marco how he was worried that the new student wouldn’t be a good match for the line, but after the first day of band camp the big blond couldn’t stop talking about how happy he was that Jean was a good player and meshed well with the section, although personality wise was having a hard time getting along with everyone, especially Eren. They had tried to invite Jean to join them during their dinner breaks, even offering him a spot in Bertholdt’s already full minivan so they could get fast food, to which he declined every time and ate by himself on the stone wall in the back of the school's parking lot. Whenever the low brass had sets near the drumline the two sections would always goof off with each other while the staff worked with other sections, and even then Jean would stand in his spot quietly reviewing his drill charts or drumming out his part on his chest, using his spare time wisely while the rest of his section had fun.
Jean already had his drum in its case as he waited for his turn to place it on the shelves. He was the only snare player to put their shirt back on at the end of rehearsal, the sleeves rolled up showing off his biceps. One hand was running through the shorter strands of his blond undercut while the other rested on his hip. He turned his head towards Marco, and Marco ran his eyes up his body, across his long, angular face, meeting with his amber eyes before realizing that yes, Jean probably just caught him checking him out.
Reiner had just finished putting his drum case back on the shelf when he turned around and smiled at Marco. “Sorry, we’ll get out of the way so you guys can put your stuff away.”
Marco tore his gaze away from Jean, who also looked away and was now picking up his snare case and trying to squeeze it onto the shelf next to Reiner’s. Marco thought he could see a faint blush on the tip of his ears, or maybe that was just part of the sunburn the blond had gotten throughout the day.
“Yeah, thanks. Meet up in the hallway?” Marco asked, pulling his contra case out from the bottom shelf. Reiner nodded in response as the drumline filtered out of the locker room and the rest of the low brass replaced them to put away their instruments.
Contra now tucked away safely in its case, Marco walked out into the hallway to join his friends. Reiner and Bertholdt were talking with Annie, the taller boy holding his trombone case and the shorter blond cradling her weapons bag in her arms. Ymir was also there, her arm around Krista’s shoulder, along with Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Connie, Sasha, Niccolo, and, surprisingly, Jean. Reiner turned to greet Marco as he approached. “You’re coming tonight, right?”
“Of course!” Marco smiled.
“Thank god. Even horseface over here is coming. It’d be pretty lame if you weren’t.” Eren looked over at Jean with a sly look.
“Oh screw you Jaeger! One more horse comment and I’m not going.” Jean shot back, stuffing his hands in his pocket. Mikasa shot Eren a glare as a warning to be nice.
“C’mon guys, it’ll be fun!” Reiner stepped in, “My mom’s gone for the weekend, and I got Gabi to go over to Zofia’s house for the night. If we wait here too much longer then everyone else is going to beat me to my own house. Let’s go!” Reiner turned and started walking down the hall, waving his hand over his shoulder as a signal for them to follow. Marco followed behind the blond along with the rest of the group, excited to end the long week with a relaxing night with his friends.