Chapter Text
Day two at the beach house just got better and worse at the same time. Everybody woke up feeling hungover. It was a long time ago since they had heavy drinking sessions like last night, because they had a full-packed schedule with school and the club.
Because everybody woke up late, they decided to have lunch outside instead of cooking. Porco called and asked them to come to the cafe he was in.
“Wow, the view is just beautiful…” Pieck mumbled, her eyes were fixed to the ocean. “I could really get used to waking up in the morning and seeing this beautiful sea in front of me,”
“Enjoy it while it lasts, guys,” Jean chimed in while busy chomping down his food. “We’re leaving tomorrow, we might not have the chance to relax like this in the upcoming months,”
“You’re right… Why must the final exam fall on the same week as our club expedition?” Armin grunted.
“Speaking of that,” Jean said again. “I think I’m not going to stay in the club after graduation.”
“WHAT?!” Everybody shouted spontaneously.
“What the hell, Jean? You were the one who promised Erwin senpai we will all continue, and now you’re backing down?” Eren shouted.
“No, I mean, aren’t you guys tired of seeing each other? And don’t you want to try any other things besides hiking and trekking with the club? We will all soon graduate and get a job, we might as well try something new, right?”
They all fell silent. Somehow Jean was right. They couldn’t stay there forever. They might as well find a new life once they graduate college.
“There, there… What's with the sad face?” Porco tried to light up the mood. “Come on, guys, it’s not like we’re saying goodbye once and for all! We might have a separate life ahead, but we'll definitely stay friends forever. You guys know that, right?”
“Right!” Sasha agreed. She then shed a tear in her eyes. “I know you guys might be leaving Marley City once you get a job, but please, come visit me and Niccolo when you have times,”
“Sasha…!” The girls automatically cried hearing Sasha’s words.
“Don’t worry, Sasha, I will definitely keep visiting you at the bar!” Pieck said with tears in her eyes.
“You better. You’re our most loyal customer, Pieck. The bar might’ve gone bankrupt if you hadn’t drunk every night in there,”
“Hahahahaha…!!” Everybody laughed hearing Sasha’s comment. They were reminded of Pieck’s drinking habit that never seemed to go away.
Everybody seemed to be having a good time despite the bitter reality waiting for them ahead.
The long car rides were always fun and tiresome at the same time. After spending two days and one night at the beach house, they were heading back to town.
Pieck and Porco were riding in the back seat of the car while Armin was driving and Annie was sitting in the front seat. Meanwhile, the others rode in the other car with Jean driving.
Pieck was staring intently at Porco who was sleeping next to her. He leaned his head on her shoulder. He looked so tired over the trip.
“Pokko…” Pieck touched a slight of Porco’s hair lovingly.
She already knew that Porco was a handsome man ever since they were young. But every time she looked at him so closely like this, her heart would flutter uncontrollably. Especially when he was looking so flushed and disheveled like this.
His slicked-back hair, his grey little eyes, his pointy nose, Pieck wanted them all. She wanted every piece of him. But one thing that she truly wanted was his heart. She didn’t even want his whole heart. She just wanted to be a part of his heart.
Slowly, she reached out for his hand. She held it on dearly. She didn’t want to wake him up. But as it turned out, Porco returned the act. He held her hand back, even lifted it up and gave it a kiss with his lips. Pieck swore she wouldn’t trade anything in the world for this moment.
It had been a week since the short weekend getaway at the beach. They were all swamped up by the college assignments and exams. Not to mention the training session they had with the club. There were really no days for them to leisure around.
“God, my head is going to burst!” Pieck shouted in desperation.
She and the gang were currently gathering at Niccolo’s bar. They finally had the time to relax now after finishing today’s exams.
“Why did I choose this major anyway…?” Pieck grimaced while taking a sip of her beer.
“Pieck, isn’t it time for you to cut your drinking habit?” Porco shouted from the other side of the table.
“Quiet, Pock, I’m not in the mood of your naggings,”
Everybody bursted into laughter hearing Pieck’s savage reply.
“You’re going to be a teacher soon. What if your students see you going out drinking?”
“Quiet…!” she warned him again.
“I think she might as well ask her students to join drinking with her!” Eren teased her.
“I SAID QUIET!!!” she finally exploded.
Everybody quickly shut off their mouths, and didn't dare to tease or nag her anymore. She got up from her seat and quietly got out of the bar.
“It’s your fault, Eren!” Porco shouted while throwing a bunch of peanuts to Eren. “Why did you tease her?”
“You started first!” Eren defended himself, throwing back peanuts to Porco.
“I told you not to bother her,”
“You did it first!”
They kept on throwing a bunch of peanuts to each other like little boys quarreling at school.
“Stop it!” Mikasa intervened. “Pock, go!”
They finally stopped. Porco nodded after Mikasa signaling him to go after Pieck. He gathered all of her stuff and quickly went out of the bar too. But instead of trying to catch up to her, he chose to walk slowly behind her. He knew how stressed she was right now because of the tiresome final exams. Not to mention the unfinished business that they had. So he was giving her space to think, while still looking out for her.
They walked slowly on the sidewalk, walking past stores and restaurants that were always busy and crowded in Marley City. The big city that never slept, that’s what people called it. The big city that had been home for him and Pieck for the past four years.
He couldn’t help but wonder. Where would they go next? Where would the path of life lead them? Will there be a place where they can call home again? Will there be a place where they can still be together—him and Pieck? Will there even be a future for the two of them together?
But in the midst of it all, he believed that wherever they might end up in the future, he would always end up coming home to that same place. To Pieck. She was his home.
“Why are you following me?” Pieck suddenly stopped her foot and turned around.
Porco was startled and accidentally bumped into her. He quickly caught her before she fell down.
“Pieck, why’d you stop like that? You could’ve fallen!”
“I’m not afraid of falling,”
“Huh?”
“But I’m afraid no one will be there to catch me when I fall,”
Porco was confused at first, but he quickly caught what she meant. He smiled and caressed her hair lovingly. She was cute like that when she pouted and turned sentimental.
“You know I’ll always catch you,”
Pieck just grumbled. She looked away, didn’t want to look Porco in the eyes.
“Pieck, look at me,”
“No,”
“Pieck,”
“No,”
“Pieck, please?”
“Why should I look at you?!” she finally turned her head and looked at him. There were thousands of emotions in her eyes, Porco could see that. They were either disappointment, resentment, or desperation, that Porco could not tell.
“What do you want, Porco?”
“Can we talk, please?”
“No. Not right now.”
“Why? I really want to talk to you. We barely had time to see each other this past week.”
“Not like this!” Pieck finally yelled at him. “Look at me, I’m a mess, Porco…”
Pieck started to cry a little. Her mouth was quivering hard.
“My head’s about to explode because of those exams. My body doesn’t even have the energy anymore because of the physical training. And my mind…,” she held her sentence, trying so hard to hold back the tears. “My mind is just messy. I can’t think, I can’t breathe, I can’t focus right now because my mind is full of you…!”
And just like that, she bursted out into tears. Her body was trembling hard from all the crying. She cried out loud. She didn’t even care that they were standing in the middle of the street.
And Porco didn’t care either. He took her into his embrace. All he could care about was this girl, right here in his arms.
“I’m so upset, Pock!” Pieck continued to cry in Porco’s warm embrace.
“I know,”
“Everyone is talking about their future, talking about what kind of job they would get, what kind of house would they move in together with their partners…” Pieck said with a trembling voice.
Porco kept on listening. He hugged her so tight that it was hard for her to speak.
“And here I am… I can’t even figure out if the man that I love will ever love me back. I can’t even figure out what I mean for you, Porco…!”
Porco hugged her even tighter. It was like he felt all her emotions. He felt her pain too and he wanted her to know that.
“Pieck…” Porco slowly let go of his embrace. He looked Pieck straight in the eyes. “Don’t worry about the future. We’ll figure it out together. We’ll face it together. You and me, Pieck.”
“Will you be there for me, Porco?”
“I told you, Pieck. I'll take care of you forever. Remember?”
Pieck nodded. Tears started to get dry in her eyes and her face started to feel warm all of a sudden.
“And I’ll show you what you mean to me, Pieck!”
Pieck hadn’t fully grasped Porco’s words when he suddenly pulled her closer and started to kiss her.
He kissed her. Right there, right now.
In the middle of the busy street, under the starry night sky of Marley City, they kissed. Their lips were locked to each other. Their hands were tied. But more importantly, their hearts were locked for each other.
“Wait, Porco,” Pieck suddenly pulled herself away.
“Huh?”
“Will you forget it again?”
“What?”
“The kiss.”
Porco smiled. “Never.”
He kissed her again. Over and over again. Pieck swore, she wouldn’t trade anything in this world for this moment.