Chapter Text
September 4th,
Ten minutes ago Jean Kirstein was fine, he was great in fact. Ten minutes ago he was sneaking into a bar at the ripe age of nineteen and ordering a Moscow mule. Ten minutes ago he was an average young adult defying his parent's wishes by living on campus at Trost University, despite living a measly twenty minutes from campus. Ten minutes ago he was avidly avoiding the ‘Marlyean mixer’ frat party that his roommate had begged him so nicely to attend.
“Oh come onnn, Jean,” Marco pleaded. “This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”
Jean knew of so called once-in-a-lifetime opportunities all too well and avoided them like the plague. Putting himself out there meant getting hurt, and that was something he was so fucking sick of doing.
“No thanks, Marco. Besides, classes just started and I hardly know anybody.” He was fully aware of how lame that sounded but didn’t have it in him to care. Besides, he’d only known Marco for a month prior to moving day; only living with him for a week. In all honesty, he didn’t owe him anything.
Marco pouted, huffing slightly. It was almost cute. He fixed his hair in their shared bathroom, watching Jean from the mirror’s reflection. “That’s the point though, like, aren’t we supposed to be meeting people?”
Ah yes. The ‘college experience.’ His whole selling point and how he’d convinced his dad that an extra 20k per year was a fantastic financial decision. “No offense man but I’d rather die, actually.” A poor choice of words in hindsight, but it’s not like Jean’s gift was seeing the future.
It seemed Marco finally gave up. “Well, I’m going.” Was that supposed to make him change his mind? “I’ll let you know if it’s as bad as you think. Maybe we can go to the next one together then, yeah?”
Jean smiled softly. “Yeah, maybe next time. But be safe, I mean it. Those Marley fucks are notorious for sketchy shit, don’t think they’ll pass on you just cuz you’re a dude.”
Marco gasped, dropping his comb. “Jean!”
“Hey, I’m serious! Last year there was some weird shit going on there with a kid named Marcel. He died at one of their parties, I’m pretty sure his brother still goes here… go figure.”
“For someone who hates meeting new people, you seem to know a lot about them.” Marco raised an eyebrow at him, finally finished readying himself.
Jean turned, grabbing his phone to break their prolonged eye contact. “Yeah, well, it was all over the news when the story broke, I’m honestly surprised you didn’t know.”
“Well, I’m sure it was an accident.” Marco was nervous enough already without Jean being a dick about the whole thing. Go figure, that’s what he got for trying to connect with one of his suitemates.
Connie, their last roommate, was assigned a week before moving in and lived perpetually at the dining hall, though Marco hoped he’d turn up to the mixer just to know someone. In all honesty, Jean was the closest friend he’d made so far on campus, and wasn’t very promising in terms of connecting.
Sure, he was hot, something Marco still wasn’t over, but his retreating nature and hostile attitude ninety percent of the time made it extremely difficult to spark conversation, and Marco considered himself somewhat of a smooth talker.
Sure there was Armin, a sweet blonde he’d met at study club, but with only a week into school there really wasn’t a need to meet up and Marco wasn’t about to study the syllabus in a sad excuse of a social gathering.
So when Reiner Braun of all people, a small-time tiktoker and one of the school’s most popular hockey players invited him to come after biochem, he graciously accepted. I mean, how bad could it be? He’d never even been to parties in high school and now he was going to frats?
“Well, I’m headed out. Goodbye, Jean, hold up the fort here while I’m out.” Marco smiled nervously and locked the door behind him. Jean didn’t say goodbye back, but Marco tried not to let him bother him.
The walk to the Pi Kappa Alpha house was cold and long through the dense forest outside Trost university and Marco began wishing he’d stayed with Jean instead of subjecting himself to this. Yes, Jean Kirstein, the strange but enduring mysteriously reclusive fine arts major who practically almost killed Marco when he walked in on him painting. The mullet-having criminally hot roommate that Marco shared a flat with. The guy who notoriously fought with some Eren guy on the very first day of orientation. So, maybe that’s why Jean didn’t want to go tonight. Eren should surely be at this party. Yes, that checked out. Jean was avoiding people already in the first week of classes. What an outstanding guy.
Early September in Trost brought fierce winds, though the full moon glistened brilliantly in the sky almost made up for the awfulness of this walk, and eventually he knew he was at the right place by the sound alone. It carried down the street as bass boosted loudly from the doors. It seemed something out of a movie, nothing ever seen in small Jinae where he was from.
‘No Hands’ blasted from the doorway, and a few people were smoking on the house’s porch. Marco shifted uncomfortably in front of the door before entering. Marco wasn’t a stubborn guy, and right now he could easily admit that Jean was right and this was a terrible idea. Upon opening the door, the stench of vodka filled his nostrils, and music and yelling flooded his ears. There were pink strobe lights and people doing body shots and oh god what was going on.
Seemingly out of thin air, Reiner appeared and clapped Marco on the back, earning a yelp from the latter. “MARCO!!! Hey man you made it!” He wore some kind of ‘beer guzzler’ helmet and he looked kind of ridiculous but Marco smiled at him anyways.
“Yeah man wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Marco hoped he didn’t sound too desperate.
“Hey so there’s beer over there and I think mayyybe some vodka left, and um, HEY BERTOLDT IS SASHA STILL MAKING DRINKS?”
Marco couldn’t tell if someone had replied, but Reiner kept speaking as if he hadn’t even asked a question. “Ah yes, there is some delectable choices in the kitchen if you make your way inside. We got cup pong over there and someone’s got last night’s game on and I thiiink some girl is still passed out upstairs if you’re into that.”
Marco’s eyes bulged out of his head and Reiner quickly realized his mistake. “HAHAHAHAHAH JUST KIDDING DUDE you should see the look on your face!”
Marco laughed nervously as Reiner continued. “Hey, I really am glad you made it. Tonight is gonna be one to remember, right! I heard Zeke fucking Jeager might even show up. Wouldn’t that be a riot.”
Reiner squinted slightly as Marco remained confused. “Well anyways, help yourself to anything. I got to go though. Let me know if you need anything!” Just as quickly as he’d appeared, Reiner vanished into the crowd like a father at a grocery store. Marco sighed before weaving his way toward the couches.
On his first free night alone since moving in, Jean decided to put on a movie and relax, deciding on the Amazing Spiderman. It was almost ten and Peter was fighting Lizard in the school bathrooms when his phone buzzed with a tinder notification. He’d matched with a blonde named Hitch last night and they’d been talking on and off all day. She’d asked him out to the bar right off campus but he’d declined, being underaged and possessing critical thinking skills. Despite himself, Jean decided to head over to the bar and check it out for himself, since the place did notoriously not card the students if they paid extra.
So here he was, sipping a Moscow mule mere minutes before closing, the bartender already wiping down and closing up for the night. Ten minutes before his life would consequently change forever when his phone buzzed yet again.
Jean glanced down at the glowing screen to reveal an incoming call from Marco Bodt. This should be good. He chased down the rest of his drink before answering. “Hey man what’s up.”
“Jean! Jean can you hear me-” his roommate spoke quickly and breathed loudly through the speaker, sending chills up his spine as all the blood drained from his face.
“Marco hey slow down- are you ok? What’s happening? Are you running?”
“Jean!” He sounded like he was crying now, a sob escaping his lips as he spoke. “Jean please, call the police but-”
“Hey kid is everything alright?” The bartender asked concernedly. It’s funny the things you remember sometimes. Every time Jean thought about that night it seemed he only remembered that bartender, a red-head named Petra, and her worried expression as Marco cried through the phone.
“Jean.”
“Marco?”
“Tell my mom I love her please I-”
“Hey, hey hey what’s going on man please,”
“-she didn’t answer when I called. She’s probably asleep but hey.” Marco sounded strangely calm now, slurring his words as he spoke. “And tell her i’m sorry.”
Jean was crying now too. “Goddamnit Marco what the fuck is happening!”
“They’re killing me, Jean. They’re following me. All of them! Call the police please god god god I don’t want to die I don’t understand-”
“Who’s following you? Marco please talk to me.”
“The party, they-”
Marco’s words were cruelly interrupted by the exploding sound of a gunshot, and Jean dropped his phone in a panic, throwing himself back and recoiling from the sound.
“Jesus man is everything okay!?”
Jean’s eyes met Petras after what seemed like hours. “Call… call the police.”