Work Text:
To: Jean Where are you?
To: Jean Hurry up man, we’re gonna be late
To: Jean Jeeaan
To: Jean JEAN DIDDLYDERN KIRSCHTEIN YOU GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE AND PICK ME UP
From: Jean holy shit marco calm ur tits im in the car
To: Jean *GASP* Don’t text and drive Jean!
From: Jean -.-
To: Jean Eyes on the road!!
Marco put down his phone with a satisfied smile before rolling off the couch and peeking out the window for the billionth time that evening. He wasn’t anxious - just excited in the way most teenagers are when they know they’re about to get into trouble with friends. Not that he planned on getting into trouble himself, but watching the others crash and burn had always been an enjoyable perk of their friendship.
Lost in his thoughts, Marco almost didn’t notice the SUV pulling up to the curb. Well, not exactly up to the curb. More like up to the curb, over it, and onto what used to be a bed of flowers. It was so typical of Jean to drive like a reckless lunatic, Marco couldn’t help but smile. He finally found himself standing outside in the cool October air after a quick call up to his mother and a fumbled attempt at locking the door. It might have been chilly, but he hardly noticed. He was too busy sprinting down the driveway to meet his friend.
“Jean!” he shouted excitedly, springing into the passenger seat and taking in the very disgruntled looking driver.
“Can’t believe you’re dragging me to this thing,” Jean muttered, spurring the car forward with a lurch before Marco had even buckled his seatbelt. The thing in question was a party. Sasha’s Halloween party, specifically. And Marco was most definitely not dragging Jean there.
“You want to go, and you know it,” he said, rolling his eyes and cringing as Jean took a turn way too fast. Jean let out a noise that sounded like a sigh, but Marco could tell there wasn’t much animosity behind it. It was just Jean being a grouch.
“Yeah, whatever. I’m just going for the food,” he replied and Marco nodded. He too was in it for the food, though probably less so than Jean. It was just one of the many things to look forward to at a Sasha Braus party. Of course, there was always the threat that Sasha would eat it all, but they were early enough that there would probably be a few scraps left if they hurried.
“I’m in it for the hide and seek,” Marco said, reminding his friend of the hardcore round of hide and seek they were bound to participate in. Sasha lived in a row home, where each row of houses faced an identical set, divided only by a small stretch of grass. The complex was large and optimal for running around like an idiot...even better if you wanted to throw in the added bonus of hiding while you ran.
“Are you nuts? It’s gonna be freezing tonight,” Jean practically yells, pulling into the complex of identical houses nonetheless. Once there, it wasn’t difficult to locate the scene of the party. No other houses were adorned as festively with ghosts, skeletons, and bats. Jean swung the car into the lot adjacent to Sasha’s row of houses and cut the engine, Marco hopping out before the SUV had stopped completely.
“Just wear a sweater, it’ll be fine. You won’t even feel the cold,” Marco said, lifting up his arms to display the gigantic blue sweater proudly. Jean rolled his eyes at it, but fisted a hand in the knit fabric of one of the sleeves to pull Marco along anyway. His friend happily complied, trotting along behind Jean down the leaf covered sidewalk until both boys pulled up in front of the cheerfully adorned home. Ebullient cheering and laughter could be heard from within.
Smiling, Marco freed his arm from Jean’s grip and began pulling him through the front door. They were immediately greeted by Connie, who was running back and forth with trays of food in his hands, followed closely by Sasha who was chasing after the boy and reaching for the platter of mini hot-dogs. Armin came up to the pair next, chatting with Marco in quiet tones about their upcoming English test while Jean feigned interest in the conversation. Soon enough, he was pulled away from Marco and Armin’s snoozefest by Eren’s constant screaming. Marco watched him go in quiet resignation, wishing he would stay. He knew Jean hated English with a burning passion, but Marco hoped it would be at least a little more interesting than Eren Jaeger’s same old rant about the rival school’s football team.
He didn’t really remember much after that; things seemed to have gone by in a blur. Somewhere along the way Annie and Reiner had gotten into an arm wrestling match that nearly broke the coffee table, but other than that it was pretty much the same as it always was. Lot’s of food, lot’s of yelling, and lot’s of running around shouting insults at each other. Marco thrived off it.
Jean, on the other hand, did not and he looked ready to bolt by the time Sasha announced the first round of hide and seek of the evening. People immediately flooded the front porch following the announcement, and Marco found himself standing next to Jean in the grass a few feet away with no recollection of how he got there.
“Alright, you know the rules! Boundaries are the road, the fence, the parking lot, and the field. No hiding in your cars, that’s just tacky, and we use a buddy system,” Sasha proudly announced, stepping up onto the lawn chair while she addressed the crowd below. Everyone immediately sprang into action, reaching for partners and shouting at the others to back away from their desired buddy. Namely, Ymir reached for Krista and yelled at Reiner to get his dirty paws off the small blonde. Marco stood on his toes trying to locate someone to partner with. Normally, it’d be Jean. But Marco doubted he could hide in close quarters with the boy without his racing heartbeat giving their location away. Damn crushes, always ruining the moment.
Unfortunately, Jean decided for him, pulling once again on the sleeve of Marco’s sweater until they were standing side by side. His breathing was definitely picking up at the close contact, but Marco tried not to give himself away by throwing Jean a reassuring smile.
“Everyone ready?” Sasha shouted, though there really wasn’t a need to ask; they had already divided into perfect teams. Mikasa and Eren, Reiner and Bertholdt, Ymir and Christa, Connie and Sasha, and Armin and Annie, which Marco found kind of odd. Not that he’d say anything. He’d seen Annie almost break a table with her bare hands, no way was he calling her out for her odd choice of buddy. He chose life.
“CONNIE AND ARE IT EVERYBODY RUN,” she continued and the flock of teenagers scattered like a bunch of cockroaches. Marco felt Jean pulling on his arm and followed him down the sidewalk and around the building into an alley. Jean was definitely humming along to the theme song of one of his favorite animes, and Marco rolled his eyes at the dramatics. Suddenly they flung themselves behind a hedge, crouching in silence while they waited for Sasha and Connie to finish counting. Marco’s heart was beating far too rapidly and he yanked his arm out of Jean’s grip to press a hand against his mouth to silence his shaky breathing.
“ALRIGHT FUCKERS HERE WE COME!” He somehow managed to hear Connie yell over the sound of his ragged panting. He looked over to share a concerned look with Jean, both of their eyes wide and sparkling with adrenaline and fear. The two could hear their friends crashing through the bushes on the other side of the hedge, but neither boy dared step out of their hiding spot.
“Do we have a plan?” Marco hissed once the sound of slap happy teenagers sprinting through fallen leaves had dissipated into the distance.
“Don’t we always?” Jean whispered back, smirk cocky and knowing in a way that made Marco’s heart rate pick up again.
“Feel like sharing?” he asked, tilting his head to listen for any footsteps.
“We gotta circle back. If we stay behind the dynamic duo, they’ll never catch us,” Jean smiled. At the back of his head, Marco realized that their plan would only succeed if Connie and Sasha didn’t have the same idea, but it was a calculated risk. One he was more than happy to take if Jean was leading the charge. Having come to a decision, Marco nodded his head. Jean nodded back, even throwing in some goofy military commando signs for good measure, before the two stood and began racing around the complex. On the way they passed a bush that might have been a good hiding spot, but was already taken by Armin and Annie. Jean cursed at them, but kept running.
At some point they ended up right where they’d started, feet shuffling as they looked for a place to take cover. The grassy lawn was empty and silent, but Marco didn’t like being so visible. It made him feel naked. Especially with the streetlamp beating down on them like a spotlight.
“Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit,” Jean cursed under his breath, spinning in rapid circles while his piercing eyes scanned the darkness for a potential hiding spot. Marco pretended not to watch, eyes searching the complex instead.
“There!” he yelled, pointing to a tree just across the yard and sprinting towards it like a man possessed. Jean followed behind without reservation but stopped once they reached the foot off the wilted maple.
“Fuck, are you crazy? We’re right across from the front door!” Jean hissed, anxious about being so close to Sasha’s home and their base of operation; Marco shoved him along anyway.
“Shh! You gotta trust me. We learned about this bio last year,” Marco said, pushing Jean down into the massive pile of leaves with a satisfying crunch, throwing himself down beside the other boy next.
“What - stop - Marco you’re -pfft- getting leaves in my mouth quit it,” Jean grunted angrily while Marco shifted around to get a better view of Sasha’s front door. He ended up on his side, curled up as if he were taking a nap in the bed of leaves with his head dangerously close to Jean’s shoulder. He tried not to think too much about it, but the temptation was definitely there.
“Just shut up a second, will ya?” he whispered, placing his hand over where he assumed Jean’s mouth would be, “we’ll be fine, they can’t see us here if we don’t move or make any noise.”
“How do you know that?” the boy beside him hissed, his body going rigid in an effort to silence the persistent crunching of leaves under his broad back.
“Humans are basically predators, right? Which means our senses are only triggered by anomalies in the natural environment such as noise or motion. We also rarely look below or above our natural line of sight, so if we just lay here for a while chances are they won’t-”
“Okay stop,” Jean interjected, “I’ve heard enough. Also, I think I just gained ten IQ points, smarty pants.”
“You asked,” Marco huffed though he was unable to defend himself further due to the sound of approaching footsteps. Both boys fell dead silent at the ominous noise. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch crunch.
“Shiiiiiit,” Jean whined.
“Just stay absolutely still,” Marco whispered back, relaxing into the leaves while they waited for the figures to pass them by. Whoever they were, they weren’t going very fast, and for a second Marco panicked - certain that they’d glance down and see the two boys lying helplessly in the leaves. Jean gulped beside him and Marco nearly strangled him for making even the tiniest noise. Maybe if he just pressed his lips against Jean’s he’d be quiet....yeah…
Mind out of the gutter, Marco, he reminded himself, focusing on the immediate threat and not his future fantasies. The approaching figure was only a foot or two away. Oh god oh god oh god.
To the surprise of both boys, the figure didn’t see Jean and Marco lying right below their feet and headed off in the direction of Sasha’s house without even stopping to search for hiding teenagers. Simultaneously, the two boys let out a sigh of relief.
“Told you,” Marco said smugly while Jean floundered for air beside him.
“Holy fuck it worked,” he breathed, voice raspy like he’d been holding his breath for a long time. He probably had. Marco giggled at him for it.
The next thirty minutes went by in exactly the same fashion. Connie, Sasha, or one of their other friends would run or walk right past the two boys without a glance, and Marco would tell bad jokes while they waited.
Minutes passed. Marco wasn’t sure exactly how many, but he guessed it was far longer than the average round of hide and seek. His side was beginning to hurt and he couldn’t feel his legs anymore. Based on Jean’s persistent grumbling and shifting, he wasn’t the only one uncomfortable with the current situation.
“It’s fucking cold,” Jean whispered, Marco noticed his breath clouding in the air above him for the first time. Personally, Marco was doing just fine. Numb and uncomfortable, sure. Cold? Not so much.
“I told you to bring a sweater!” he whined to Jean, the shorter boy huffing in resignation and crossing his arms over his chest to warm them up.
“I’m not wearing any of your dorky ass sweaters, Marco,” Jean said, voice gravelly from disuse and whispering in the dark to one another.
“Jean, we’ve been out here for almost an hour. Wear the damn sweater.”
“Fight me.”
“I will.”
“You won’t, it’d give away our location.”
“Try me.”
“You’re on, Bodt.”
Bzzt. “Hang on, my phone just buzzed.”
“Excuses, excuses.”
From: Sasha Ok we give up where tf r you and sassypants?
“I’ll kick your ass later,” Marco said, holding out the screen for Jean to see. The boy’s amber eyes widened and he lifted his hands above his head in victory, leaves flying up around him at the sudden motion.
“Fuck yeah, Jean wins again, motherfuckers,” Jean yelled, tossing leaves in every direction before rolling onto his stomach with an exaggerated grumble and lifting himself to his hands and knees. Marco tried to follow suit, but his legs gave out halfway through the action and he found himself face down in a pile of soggy leaves.
“Help,” he squeaked, extending a hand above his head for Jean to grab. He felt a tug and before long he was face to face with a laughing and leaf covered Jean.
“You c-couldn’t kick my ass if you tried,” the other boy taunted, shivering from the cold and dusting leaves off his shirt and hair while Marco frowned. They began the short walk back to Sasha’s house together, Marco grumbling all the way. He mumbled a less than savory reply in Jean’s direction as they walked.
Marco opened Sasha’s door with cold numb fingers, finding himself under the scrutiny of the entire crew once he enters. Clearly, Jean and Marco were the last to be found. And clearly, the others were not too pleased about it.
“Where the hell were you guys?” Connie practically screeched when they stumbled through the front door and sat down by the crackling fireplace. Jean shivered profoundly, Marco pouted in sympathy. Fortunately, Sasha was there to save the day. And by Sasha, Marco meant Sasha’s hot chocolate machine, which was brewing the wonderful beverage at supersonic speeds in the background. He found a cup of the liquid miracle in his hands in no time at all.
“W-we’ll never t-tell,” Jean shuddered, taking the hot chocolate from Sasha’s hands greedily and pressing it against his chest. The friends around them groaned in irritation at Jean’s stubbornness, but Marco didn’t feel like telling them either. It could come in handy in the future, after all.
“Bastard,” Eren mumbled somewhere to Marco’s left, the freckled boy smiling shyly in his direction as an apology.
“Well it’s time for round two, you guys wanna be it?” Annie piped up from where she sat cross legged at the foot of the couch, Bertholdt’s long legs served as her backrest.
Jean let out a long, low whine next to him. It was quiet enough that Marco didn’t think anyone would hear, but he got the message loud and clear: neither boy would be stepping foot outside until they were adequately warmed up.
“I think we’ll pass,” he said, supplying an answer for the both of them, “baby boy over here forgot to bring a sweater.” Jean elbowed him in the ribs and somewhere Marco could hear Eren cackling wildly. He found it difficult to care when the rest of their friends were filtering out of the house for another round of hide and seek though. More time to warm up with Jean by the fireplace, he figured.
“Fuck, it’s fucking cold as fuck,” Jean said next to him and Marco wondered briefly if this was really preferable to playing outside with his friends. He shook his head at the thought. Of course it was; he’d rather be alone with Jean than hiding in the leaves by himself any day. Speaking of which…
“Here,” Marco said, standing up to retrieve the bag he brought with him and reaching inside. He knew packing an extra sweater had been a good idea.
“Hell n-no,” Jean snapped upon spotting the blue knit monstrosity in Marco’s hands, only a few shades darker than Marco’s own.
“Hell yes,” Marco threw the sweater at his friend, successfully nailing Jean in the face, “You’re freezing, just put it on until you warm up.” Jean grumbled and pulled the fabric over his head.
“The others b-better n-not see me in t-this,” he murmured into the collar of his new shirt, a slight blush finding its way across his cheeks. Marco rolled his eyes and moved to join his friend in front of the fire.
“They won’t,” he said, “now stop being a baby and get over here,” Marco gestures the space between them. Jean cocks his head, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Why?” “You’re gonna get a cold, just come here and we’ll warm up together,” Marco said, wrapping an arm around Jean and yanking him to his side. His heart definitely beat faster at the sudden contact, but it didn’t feel bad for once. It actually...made him feel warmer, like the fire crackling behind them had taken up residency in his chest all of a sudden. It had been a long time since he’d had a crush and Marco missed the warmth loving someone could provide. He smiled at the boy in his arms, happy to have that feeling once again.
Jean sputtered indignantly at the embrace, but quickly went silent when the heat they shared stopped his teeth from chattering. He shot Marco a look that suggested something along the lines of, ‘if you tell anyone, I will personally murder you in your sleep,’ but Marco certainly didn’t care.
He was just happy to be warm again.