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You sniffled as you staggered out of your house, your bare feet slipping in the dewy grass. You ran down the street towards your best friend’s house. Upon arriving there, you knocked on the door loudly, despite the ungodly hour. It was two in the morning and you knew he’d be asleep but you needed him right now. You kept knocking until you saw a light turn on inside the house. The door swung open to reveal a more than half asleep Jean, rubbing his right eye.
“________...,” he said, yawning, “Why are you knocking on the door…? You have a key you know….”
Since it was dark out, he couldn’t see the marks covering your body. It wasn’t until a car drove by on the street behind you, its headlights illuminating your battered form, that he saw them. And that you were only wearing a white bra and matching panties.
His eyes widened, all sleep disappearing from them, and he exclaimed, “Jesus fucking Christ! ________, what happened?!”
More tears came to your eyes and you whimpered. He immediately grabbed you and pulled you into his house. The door slammed shut behind you and you were suddenly wrapped in a tight embrace, Jean’s back resting against the door. You cried into his chest as he slid down into a sitting position, you resting in between his legs against his body.
“It’s ok…,” he whispered, nuzzling into your hair. “I'm here now….”
You sobbed into his bare chest and held onto him tightly. He stroked your hair and whispered to you until you calmed down. You pushed away from his chest a little and sniffled. He cupped you face with both hands and wiped away your tears. He leaned forward and kissed your forehead. You nuzzled into his hands and looked up at him with teary eyes.
“I’m going to wake up my parents. But first let’s get you something to wear.” He said, smiling sadly at you.
You nodded and sniffled again. He stood up and helped you to your feet before picking you up bridal style. You wrapped your arms around his neck and let him carry you up the stairs to his room. He set you down on the bed and grabbed one of his hoodies. He slipped it on over your head and disappeared down the hall. You looked down at the hoodie and smiled lightly. It was one of his grey baseball hoodies from school. You nuzzled into the hood a little and inhaled his scent. It calmed you so much.
“________!!”
You looked up and saw his parents Zoë and Erwin running into the room, Jean right behind them. Zoë enveloped you in a motherly hug and you hugged her back. She released you and sat next to you. Jean sat on your other side and Erwin knelt in front of you.
“________, what happened?” Erwin asked, looking over the marks on your exposed legs.
You swallowed hard and tried to speak. But you couldn’t. You voice wouldn’t work. You reached a hand up to touch your throat and tears welled up in your eyes. You looked at Jean with panicked eyes and whimpered again. He wrapped his right arm around your shoulders, holding you to his side, and took your hand in his. You buried your face into his neck and started crying softly again.
“Mom, what’s wrong with her?!” He asked, worried.
“Relax Jean, she's fine,” Zoë said, trying to calm her panicking son, “It’s obvious that she's been though a very traumatic situation. It’s common for people to lose their voice after going through something traumatic.”
“Will she be able to speak again?” Jean asked.
She nodded and said, “Yes, but it’ll take some time.”
He nodded and looked down at you again. He still felt your tears leaving wet trails down his neck and chest but he didn’t care. He pulled you onto his lap and gently rocked you back and forth. Soon your crying devolved to sniffles again and you just laid limply against his chest. Erwin’s hand came to rest on your arm and you looked over at him.
“We’re here for you ________,” he said, his voice quiet, “Always know that.”.
You nodded and closed your eyes. You opened them again a minute later and looked at Zoë and Erwin. They were looking at you with such sad eyes.
“It’s late. We’ll discuss this more in the morning.” Erwin said, standing up.
Zoë followed suit and placed a hand on your shoulder.
“Goodnight sweetie.” She said, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead.
You nodded and smiled a little at her.
“We love you….” Erwin said, kissing the top of your head in a fatherly way.
You smiled more and reached out to hug him. He hugged you back and said goodnight. His parents left the room and closed the door softly. You looked back at Jean who was spacing out. You placed a hand on his cheek and he snapped out if his trance. He looked at you and you tilted your head to the side with a worried look.
“I-I’m fine….” He said, looking away.
You opened your mouth to speak, but closed it when you remembered you couldn’t speak. You looked down sadly and sighed. You heard Jean hiccup quietly and your head whipped up. Your eyes widened as you saw tears in his honey brown eyes.
“I’m sorry…,” he said, hiccupping again, the tears spilling from his eyes, “I wasn’t there to protect you like I promised I would be….”
You moved to straddle his lap and sat on his legs. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled his head down to rest against your chest. His arms tightened around your waist and he quietly cried into your chest. You were confused as to what he meant though. Then it hit you.
“Come on ________!” Jean said, pulling you by your hand into the Halloween store.
You swallowed hard. You never liked Halloween stores. They always gave you quiet a scare. You held onto Jean’s hand tightly and stayed close behind him as you walked through the store. He looked for the best route to take to the costumes while avoiding all the scary stuff. He frowned when he couldn’t find any.
“I’ve got an idea!” He said, grinning.
He pulled you close to his side and covered your eyes with one hand.
“Just relax and let me guide you,” he said next to your ear, “That way, you don’t have to see the scary stuff.”
You blushed a little and nodded. You let him lead you to the wall with costumes and he uncovered your eyes. You both looked through the costumes, searching for the right ones.
“Hey ________,” Jean said, smirking as he held up two skimpy costumes, “You could always do Sexy Nurse or Cop.”
You glared at him and said, “No you pervert.”
He laughed and put them back.
“I was only kidding.” He said, rolling his eyes with a smile.
You shook your head and continued to look for a costume. Then your eyes fell on the perfect outfit. You grabbed it and looked at Jean.
“I’m going to try one on.” You said.
“Ok. I’ll wait outside the dressing room to tell you what I think.” He said.
You nodded and went to the dressing rooms. You closed the door and quickly changed into the costume.
You stepped out and said, “What do you think?”
He looked at you and beamed.
“It’s perfect!” He said, smiling even brighter.
You turned to look at yourself in the large mirror. You were dressed in a medieval princess dress that reached the floor. It was black and red velvet and had black ribbon lacing the front like a corset. The sleeves were tight until your elbows then flared out to hang down. Jean was right. It was perfect. You bought it but never saw the one Jean bought. It wasn’t until Halloween night that you saw what he was wearing.
There was a knock on your door and you smiled. Jean was picking you up to go trick-or-treating with your friends. You were really excited. You opened the door and your jaw dropped. Jean was dressed in a knight’s outfit. It matched your dress perfectly. It consisted of black chain-link armor, black pants, a red tunic/shirt thingy with a black lion on it, black boots, a red cape, and a sword and shield.
“We match….” You muttered, staring at him.
He smiled and nodded.
“I wanted it to be a surprise.” He said, shrugging.
You smiled and hugged him. He then pulled something out of his bag. He placed it on your head and you looked in the mirror next to the front door. You smiled at your reflection. He’d gotten you a tiara with red and black gems. You stepped out of you house and closed the door. He offered you his arm and you smiled, linking your arm with his.
“Shall we go, my princess?” He asked, smiling a gentleman’s smile.
You smiled back and said, “We shall, my knight.”
You walked off down the street, your heels clicking. Why you had worn heels, god only knows.
X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X
The night went by with no problems until you came to a particularly decked out house. They had made their own haunted house.
“Come on guys, let’s go!” Eren said, running up to the house.
“I think I’ll stay here….” You said, taking a few steps back.
“Oh come on ________, you’ll be fine.” Reiner said.
You bit your lip and looked down. A warm hand gently took yours and pulled you towards the house. You looked up and saw Jean smiling at you.
“I’ll protect you,” he said, wrapping his arm around your waist, “So don’t worry.”
You nodded hesitantly and clung to him. While you walked through the haunted house, he used his shield to cover you whenever something scary popped out or was coming up. You still screamed whenever a scary noise sounded and buried your face in Jean’s neck. After ten minutes of nearly pissing yourself every five seconds, you finally made it out of the scary place.
“See,” Jean said, smiling down at you, “I told you I’d protect you.”
You swallowed hard and nodded, trying to hide the tear that slipped from your eye from you being scared. He smiled more and wiped it away.
He hugged you and said, “I’ll always protect you from everything scary. I promise. No matter what it is or when it is, I’ll protect you. From now ‘till forever.”
That was when you were fourteen and in your freshman year of high school. Now you were sixteen and in your junior year. Jean was eighteen and a senior. You hugged him tighter and nuzzled into his two-toned hair. You tried everything to tell him that it was ok. That he couldn’t have protected you from this. But no matter what you tried, he wouldn’t cheer up. You finally decided to resort to your last option. You tilted his chin up and made him look at you.
“What…?” He asked, sniffling.
You smiled at him and nuzzled his cheek, hugging him as tight as you could. He smiled slightly and shook his head a little. You cupped his cheeks with your hands and wiped away his tears. You smiled at him lovingly. His cheeks tinted pink and he swallowed.
“Sorry,” he muttered, “But I can't hold back….”
He then pushed his head forward and connected his lips with yours. You froze, not knowing what to do. You’ve wanted this for years! But now that it was really happening, you didn’t know how to react.
He pulled away a minute later and said, “Sorry…. I know you can't speak but I need to know how you feel about me….”
Your face was bright red and you quickly kissed him again, tangling your fingers in his hair. He made a small noise of surprise but kissed back, holding you against his body tightly. You pulled apart a few minutes later, panting hard.
“I love you….” He murmured, resting his forehead against yours.
You smiled and kissed him again. He nuzzled you and sighed happily. That happy sigh quickly turned into a shocked gasp. You looked at him and saw him looking down between your bodies. You blushed and looked away, knowing he finally saw the blood on your inner thighs. He pulled the sweater up and looked between your legs, seeing a little blood staining your panties.
“________, I know that isn’t from your period, it ended last Monday….” He said, looking up at you.
Your bottom lip trembled as you tried to hold in yet another round of tears.
“________, did someone touch you down there?” Jean asked slowly.
You swallowed hard and shyly nodded.
“How badly?”
You just looked up at him. His eyes widened.
“No…! They… they…?!” He couldn’t even finish the sentence.
You nodded. He held you tightly and you buried your face in his neck. He laid you down in bed and cuddled you. You snuggled into him and closed your eyes. You’re glad that you came to Jean’s. You could have done what you’ve thought about doing for a long time. You have the scars to prove it. But you didn’t. You came to Jean’s and not only found your safe haven, but you finally got the one you loved. So you live to tell your story.
X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X-x-X
“________, Jean, wake up.”
You groaned lightly and blinked your eyes open. You looked up at Zoë and groaned again. You buried your face back into Jean’s neck. You felt Jean shift next to you and snuggle into you more. Zoë laughed and shook you both again. You sighed and sat up. Jean groaned again and rolled over onto his stomach, snuggling into his pillow.
“Jean, come on, wake up.” Zoë said, hitting him in the head.
He swatted her hand away and started snoring quietly. You rolled your eyes and gave Zoë the ‘I got this’ look. She nodded and stood back. You crawled out from under the blanket and jumped on Jean’s back. He grunted but didn’t more. You smirked and leaned down so your face was in his neck. You opened your mouth and bit his neck.
“OW!!!” He yelped, bolting up right.
You fell onto the bed giggling. He looked down at you with a bewildered expression.
“Did you just bite me?!” He exclaimed.
You giggled more and nodded. He took his pillow and put it over your face.
“Oh my god, ________,” Zoë exclaimed, “Is that blood?!”
Your breath hitched and you pulled the sweater down to cover your thighs with one hand and held the pillow to your face with the other.
“I’ll explain down stairs. I’m gonna get her cleaned up and give her something to wear. We’ll meet you and dad downstairs.” Jean said.
You heard Zoë leave the room and close the door. You peeked out at Jean from behind the pillow. He smiled down at you sadly and pulled the pillow away from you.
“Come on,” he said, scooping you up into his arms, “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
You nuzzled into his neck and let him carry you into the bathroom. He started the shower and made the water hot.
“Get in and get cleaned up. I’ll get my mom’s shampoo so you don’t have to use shampoo for guys. I’ll also get you something to wear.” He said, smiling at you.
You smiled back and nodded. He kissed you once before leaving the bathroom. You pulled his hoodie off and folded it. You set it down on the counter gently and stripped off your dirty white undergarments. You stared at the blood staining your panties and a shiver ran down your spine. You dropped them on the floor and stepped into the steaming water. You sighed in relief as the hot water splashed over your sore muscles.
“How you doing in there?”
You jumped as you heard Jean’s voice. You stuck you hand out the side of the shower curtain and gave him a thumbs up.
“Great. Here’s the shampoo.” He said, putting the bottle in your hand.
You set the bottle down and stuck your head out the side and beckoned for him to come closer. He did and you leaned forward and kissed him as a thank you.
He smiled and said, “You’re welcome. Your new lingerie is on the counter. You’ll have to wear something of mine for now though.”
You rolled your eyes at the ‘lingerie’ comment. You pulled the curtain back into place and quickly washed your hair. Once it was clean, you scrubbed the blood from your body, flinching when the washcloth grazed over your bruises. Once you finished with your shower, you shut the water off. You poked your head out of the shower and saw that the door was closed and a big, fluffy towel was hanging on the rack. It had a note on it that said, “Here’s the fluffiest towel I could find! Love you! –Jean”. You giggled and wrapped the towel around your body. You dried off and quickly dressed in the (f/c) bra and matching panties. You giggled again as you saw a pair of Jean’s boxers and one of his t-shirts. You slipped them on and put his hoodie on over the black t-shirt. You tried drying your hair but gave up on it after a few minutes. You opened the door and found Jean lying on his bed. He looked up at you and smiled.
“Feeling better?” He asked.
You nodded and smiled back. He stood up and took your hand. He led you downstairs and into the living room. Zoë and Erwin were already sitting on one of the couches. You and Jean sat on the other one facing them.
“Zoë told me that ________ had blood on her?” Erwin said, looking at you worriedly.
You nodded and held tightly onto Jean’s hand as you rested you head on his shoulder.
“Jean, did she manage to tell you what happened to her?” Erwin asked.
“Sorta….” He said, looking down at you sadly.
“What happened?” Zoë asked.
Jean sighed and said, “Someone raped her last night…. And it looks like they beat her too….”
You nodded and they gasped.
“Oh my god!” Zoë said, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Who was it?!” Erwin asked.
“I don’t know,” Jean said, shaking his head lightly, “She couldn’t tell me.”
“________, sweetie, did he use a condom?” Zoë asked.
You looked at her and nodded.
“Well, that’s a good and a bad thing,” she said, frowning, “Good for your health, but not good for forensic evidence.”
Zoë was a doctor and Erwin was a cop. You knew that they could help you. But you were too scared to tell them who did this to you. You were also afraid that they wouldn’t believe you. Zoë was about to say something when the phone rang.
“I’ll get it.” She said, going into the other room.
You heard her answer the phone and frozen when you heard your godmother’s name.
“Lauren? Yes, ________ is here.” She said, standing in the doorway to the living room.
She looked at you and you shook your head, panicked. She nodded, understanding that you didn’t want her to know.
“She came over last night. She was upset about a fight she had with a friend from school and need Jean’s support.” Zoë said.
You thanked god Jean’s mother could lie so well.
“You’re what,” Zoë suddenly exclaimed, “For how long?!”
She listened for a moment before looking shocked.
“Yes, of course we can take care of her while you’re away. Yes. Ok…. See you when you get back….” She said.
She hung up the phone and looked at the three of you incredulously.
“Zoë, what is it?” Erwin asked.
“Lauren and Derrick are going away to Europe for six months,” she said, setting the phone down, “They’re leaving this afternoon.”
“What?!” The two males exclaimed, your expression surprised.
She nodded and said, “And they asked that we take care of ________ while they’re gone.”
Jean looked down at you shocked. You smiled though. You didn’t have to be around that monster for six months. Plus you got to stay with your new boyfriend and his family! You were thrilled to say the least. You hugged Jean tightly and nuzzled his neck. He hugged you back and you pulled away a moment later to kiss him. When you pulled apart, Zoë and Erwin were smiling at you knowingly.
“You two finally got together?” Erwin asked.
“What do you mean finally?” Jean asked, pulling you onto his lap.
“Honey, we’ve been seeing this since you were little.” Zoë said, rolling her eyes.
You and Jean shook your heads and cuddled together. You wondered if your parents had seen the same thing his did before they died. Your parents died in a car crash when you were six, leaving you to live with your godparents Lauren and Derrick. Lauren was nice, you liked her. But Derrick… well, let’s just say people change…. He was nice when you were younger. But then he started getting… different around the time you turned thirteen. You were glad to be away from him for such a long time.
“Well, it’ll be a treasure having you hear for six months.” Erwin said, smiling at you for the first time that morning.
You smiled back and nodded.
Zoë wrapped her arms around you and Jean from behind and said, “I get to have a daughter for six months!”
You giggled and hugged her. She giggled as well and hugged you back. Lauren was nice and all, but Zoë has always been more like a mother to you than anyone after your mother died.
‘This is going to be the best six months of my life!’ You thought, nuzzling Jean again.
X-x-X-Five Months Later-X-x-X
“________, dear, it’s time to get ready to go.” Zoë said, coming into to your and Jean’s now shared room.
You looked at her and smiled. She didn’t know about your plan either. You grabbed your bag and left the house with your second family. They thought you were being moral support for your friend Maxina who was singing. But you actually had a surprise for them. Once you got to the school, you gave Jean a kiss and ran off to find Max. She was the only one who knew what you were doing.
“________! Hey!” Max said, waving at you.
She was standing with her boyfriend and Jean’s best male friend Marco Bodt. You smiled at her and hugged her. She gave Marco a quick kiss before ushering him off to go find Jean and sit with him.
“Are you ready to surprise everyone?” She asked.
You nodded. You went to the bathroom and both got dressed.
X-x-X-With Jean and Marco-X-x-X
“I think it’s awesome that ________ is going up on stage with Max as moral support.” Marco said, looking over at his best friend.
“Me too. I honestly thought she wouldn’t even want to come since she really wanted to do something for the talent show. But then she lost her voice….” Jean said, looking down.
“Don’t worry Jean,” Marco said, putting his hand on his friend’s shoulder, “She’ll get it back. She’ll be able to sing again. I know she will.”
Jean looked over at him and the freckled boy smiled at him. Jean smiled back and slung an arm around his neck, ruffling his hair.
“This is why we call you Freckled Jesus!” Jean said, grinning.
Marco laughed and pushed Jean’s hand away. They kept talking and laughing until the lights dimmed. They watched the acts go on one by one and to tell the truth, some weren’t that good. Jean made gagging noises at some of the girls and Marco giggled. They announced that Max was coming on stage and the boys cheered, along with Jean’s parents. Max walked out on stage but she was alone.
“I thought ________ was supposed to be with her….” Jean whispered.
“So did I….” Marco whispered back.
They looked at each other and shrugged. They watched the dark blonde female sing and cheered when she was done. They sat through the rest of the acts, still wondering where ________ was.
“We’ve got one more act! This young girl has been through a lot in the last few months and she’s got a story to tell. And she’s going to do so through a song that she wrote, with her best friend playing guitar. Ladies and gentlemen, here they are.” The host said.
He left the stage and the lights went out. They heard two sets of heels clicking on the stage as the two females took the stage. A spot light lit up one of the females on the stage. It was Max.
“What is Max doing back on stage?” Jean whispered.
“I have no idea….” Marco said.
She started playing her acoustic guitar and after a few seconds, a second spotlight lit up the second female as she began to sing.
“Holy shit,” Jean murmured, eyes widening, “________?!”
Inside this life,
Under its spell,
I close my eyes,
And live to tell.
The hands we're dealt,
Will never disappear.
Death she grows near.
People change,
And instantly.
I'm not the same girl,
I used to be.
I can't erase all the memories,
But I can explain,
If you're listening.
People change,
Not just me.
Locked up in silence,
A living hell.
My heart still beats,
So I bid farewell.
The loving hand that saved me,
Held too tight.
His darkness weighs
On me at night.
People change,
And instantly.
I'm not the same girl,
I used to be.
I can't erase all the memories,
But I can explain,
If you're listening.
People change,
Not just me.
I never asked,
Or wanted to.
You stepped across my threshold,
How could you?
Everyone stood up and cheered as she finished singing. She was amazing. Jean couldn’t believe she’d gotten her voice back. She hadn’t said anything. After the girls were off stage, the MC quickly closed out the show and all the performers came out into the audience.
“Jean….”
X-x-X-Reader’s P.o.V.-X-x-X
Jean turned to face you. You smiled at him and ran up to him, hugging him tightly. He held you just as tight and kissed you.
“You have your voice back….” He said, looking at you.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I wanted this to be the first time anyone heard me speak again.” You said.
“How long have you had it back?” He asked.
“The other night,” you said, blushing, “After our… first time….”
He blushed too and said, “Oh….”
You nodded and kissed him again. You were happy with how the past few months had been, and you were still looking forward to last month of solace before he came back. You left the auditorium with Jean and his parents and headed for the parking lot.
“That was a cute little song kid.” A voice said from behind you, making you freeze.
You turned around slowly, eyes wide, and confirmed what your ear told you. Derrick was leaning against his car with his hands stuffed into his jacket pockets, a sickening grin smeared across his face. The grip you had on Jean’s hand tightened and you pressed closer to his side, alerting him that something was wrong. He looked at you and saw the fear and panic in your eyes as you looked at Derrick, and realization suddenly dawned on him.
“________, it was him…?” He asked, voice low so only you could hear him.
You swallowed hard and nodded, taking a step back. Derrick’s grin never faltered, his eyes boring into your very soul.
“You bastard,” Jean yelled, pushing you behind him, “How the fuck could you do that to ________?!”
“Jean!” Zoë said, shocked at her son’s sudden outburst.
“He’s the one that did that to ________!” Jean growled angrily.
Zoë gasped and Erwin took a step closer to the two of you.
“You won’t get away with doing something so awful to ________!” Jean seethed, his hands tightening into fists.
Derrick snorted and said, “You can’t prove that I did anything. And her pathetic word against mine wouldn’t hold up anywhere.”
Jean opened his mouth to say something when another voice spoke out.
“Maybe they can’t prove anything, but I can….”
They turned to see Lauren standing a few feet away, holding a laptop to her chest. You recognized it as Derrick’s laptop, and you suspected he did as well.
“Lauren,” Derrick said, sounding a little panicked, “W-what are you doing here, I-I thought you were at home? And what are you doing with my laptop?”
“I found the video you disgusting son of a bitch!” Lauren said, glaring at her husband.
Derrick’s face paled and he muttered, “But… it was buried in files and double locked….”
“You really are stupid,” Lauren said, her glare becoming harsher, “My brother is a hacker you moron.”
“What video….” Jean asked slowly.
Lauren looked over at you and Jean sadly and said quietly, “I’m so sorry ________ but... he filmed it.”
Your eyes widened and you felt your whole body go numb. Jean wrapped his arms around you and held you to his chest tightly. Your ears were ringing so loudly that you couldn’t hear everything going on around you anymore. By the time you snap out of your trance, you’re back at home, sitting on Jean’s bed with him. You blinked at him with wide, confused eyes.
Seeming to know you had no idea what had happened, he smiled and said, “Dad called his buddies and got Derrick arrested, and… Lauren wanted me to tell you that she was truly sorry and that she hopes that one day you can forgive her.”
You looked down to your feet and said quietly, “I never once blamed her for a second for anything he did. That bastard made sure that she didn’t know. There’s nothing to forgive because I never blamed her or was upset with her.”
Jean smiled at you and hugged you, kissing your forehead. He leaned back and pulled you with him, falling back onto the bed. You cuddled into his chest and sighed happily, knowing that the monster you’ve face for so long could no longer hurt you. You looked up at Jean and whispered the words you couldn’t say for five months.
“I love you….”