WARNING! ANGST! SADNESS! TEARS! CHARACTER DEATH! DON'T LIKE, DON'T READ! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

I'm so sorry for writing such a sad story but I just had to. This is a song fic for "Alyssa Lies" by Jason Michael Carroll. They made me take the lyrics down so I really advise you to either listen to the song or look up the lyrics and read them.

There are probably mistakes in this, I know, but I couldn't bring myself to re-read this. It's just too sad. I was in tears writing this.

"Hi!" Jean said, smiling brightly at the smaller boy sitting alone under the tree.

Said boy looked up shyly and said, "H-hi..."

"My name's Jean! What's your name?" Jean asked.

"Marco..." The boy said hesitantly.

Jean smiled even brighter and said, "Let's be friends!"

Marco hesitated for a moment before nodding. Jean grabbed his hands and pulled him up off the ground. He pulled him over to the swings and sat him down on one.

"Hold on tightly Marco! I'm gonna push you so you go really high!" Jean said.

Marco nodded shyly and grabbed the chains tightly. Jean grabbed the sides of the swings and pulled the smaller boy back. He then pushed him hard so he stated to soar through the air. Jean kept pushing him so he flew higher and higher. Marco began to laugh quietly and smile.

"Higher, Jean, higher!" He exclaimed, closing his eyes and laughing.

Jean beamed and fulfilled his request. This was years ago when the boys were in first grade. Jean had just barely turned six and Marco had already been seven for two months. Marco was a year and two months older that Jean but they were in the same grade. They'd been friends ever since that day. Now, they were fifteen and sixteen and sophomores in high school. And ever since fourth grade, Jean had been seeing bruises on Marco's body. Up until now Jean always thought they were from playing with his foster siblings. But now, Jean realized that there were too many marks to be from playing with his siblings. Plus, he was too old to be playing with them now. But he didn't know what they were from. And whenever one of their teachers asked where he got those marks, he always said he'd gotten them from 'playing with his siblings'. But he knew he was lying. He knew him too well. Whenever he lied, his nostrils flared. Whenever Jean asked him why he was lying he'd say he wasn't. Jean would always let it go, not wanting to push things any farther. But they were still getting worse. One Friday, it was so bad Jean came home with tears in his eyes. He went to his father, not know who else to go to.

"Dad..." He said.

Erwin looked down at his son and was shocked to see tears in his son's eyes. Jean hardly ever cried.

"What is it Jean?! What's wrong?!" He asked.

Jean sniffled and said, "Marco lies..."

At first Erwin just kind of brushed it off. He didn't know how much his son had been hurt or the things he had seen.

And he wasn't ready when he said, "You can tell me."

Jean said, "Marco lies to the classroom, Marco lies everyday at school, Marco lies to the teachers, as he tries to cover every bruise."

Erwin couldn't believe what Jean had told him that day. It just couldn't be. Not to Marco. That night, Erwin went to talk to Jean before he went to bed. And as he stepped out of the room, he heard Jean say a prayer, which he rarely did.

"God bless my mom and my dad... And my best friend Marco, I know he needs you bad, because he lies about the bruises..."

Erwin couldn't sleep that night. He tossed and turned, making his wife Zoe worry.

"Is everything alright, dear?" She asked, rolling over to face him.

He sighed and faced her.

"Jean came home today almost in tears." He said.

"What?! He never cries!" She said.

"I know. I was shocked as well. And when I asked him what was wrong, he told me that Marco lies." The blond man sighed.

"What did he mean 'Marco lies'?" Zoe asked.

Erwin repeated Jean's words and Zoe gasped.

"You don't think... That he's... Being abused, do you...?!" She asked.

"I'm afraid so. From what Jean said, Marco's showing all the signs of abuse. And I think I remember hearing the boys talking about how bad Marco's foster home is." Erwin said, closing his eyes.

Zoe sighed and reached a hand over to cup her husband's cheek. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

She gave him a loving smile and said, "Don't worry yourself too much love. I know you'll think of what to do."

He nodded but still didn't look relaxed. Zoe smiled again and moved closer to the large man. She pulled him to her and made him rest his head in her chest. She hugged his head and he wrapped his arms around her waist. She kissed his forehead and nuzzled him.

"I love you." She said, stroking his hair.

"I love you too baby. And thanks a lot." He said, nuzzling her chest.

Zoe fell asleep quickly but Erwin still wasn't able to sleep. Eventually he switched the position he and his wife were in so she was settled against his chest. He held her tightly as he tried to think of a way to calm his son's fears. And finally, after two days of thinking, he knew exactly what he had to do.

-Monday-

"Jean, sweetie, it's time to get up." Zoe said, lightly shaking Jean.

He groaned and blinked his eyes open. Zoe smiled at her son and pulled him into an upright position.

"Your father's going to drive you to school today." She said, trying to tame Jean's wild bed head.

"Why?" He asked, rubbing his right eye.

"I'm not sure exactly. Something about talking to someone." She said, shrugging.

After another minute of trying to fix his hair, Zoe heaved a frustrated sigh.

"I give up! How the hell do you keep this down?!" She said, slightly pissed.

Jean chuckled and said, "Water and a shit ton of brushing and combing."

Zoe sighed again and shook her head. She left the room and Jean got ready for school. He grabbed his bag and went down stairs.

"Ok dad, I'm ready to go when you are." He said.

Erwin nodded and said, "Alright, let's go."

The two males walked out to the car and get in. They drive to school and Erwin prepares himself for the conversation he's about to have. But he never gets to have it. When they get there, Eren and Armin are crying and a teacher is waiting with them.

Erwin stops the car and said, "Jean, stay in the car."

Jean looked worried and said, "What?! Why?!"

"Just stay in the car!" Erwin said sternly.

He got out and went over to the teacher.

"Mr. Smith, I presume?" She asked.

"Yes. What's wrong, what's happened?!" Erwin said, worried.

The teacher sighed sadly and said, "I'm so sorry to inform you but... Your son's friend, Marco Bodt, has... Has died."

"What?!" Erwin exclaimed.

The teacher explained what had happened. Erwin couldn't believe it. He walked back to the car and got in. Jean looked at his father and saw the pained look on his face.

"Dad, what's going on?! Why does everyone look so sad?!" Jean asked, scared.

The lump in Erwin's throat grew bigger with every question that he asked.

Until finally, tears slipped from his eyes and he said, "Jean... Marco won't be in school today..."

"...Why...?!" Jean asked, fear spreading through his whole body.

Erwin nearly choked on his words as he said, "Because he doesn't lie in the classroom, he doesn't lie anymore at school, Marco lies with Jesus... Because there's nothing anyone would do..."

Jean's eyes widened and tears filled them. Jean began to cry quietly as cold reality hit him.

More tears filled Erwin's eyes as Jean asked, "Why did he lie...?! Why?!"

"I don't know Jean... I just don't know..." Erwin said, wiping the tears from his eyes.

He started the car again and drove back home. They walked inside and Jean ran straight upstairs to his room.

"Jean!" Zoe called after him.

Erwin walked into the living room and Zoe turned to him and was about to speak when she saw the tears in her stoic husband's eyes.

"Erwin, what happened?!" She asked, grabbing onto his arm.

"Marco's dead..." He said, voice strained.

Zoe's eyes widened and she said, "What?! Oh my god, what happened?!"

"The son of a bitch Samuel beat him to death yesterday." Erwin said.

Zoe hugged him before taking his hand and pulling him up the stairs to their son's room. She opened the door and they saw Jean lying on his bed crying. Zoe went over to him and sat on the bed next to him. She put a hand on his arm and he looked up at her. He sat up and hugged her tightly, crying into her chest. She stroked his hair and kissed his forehead.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart... I'm so sorry...!" She said, holding him equally as tight.

He cried harder and kept asking why he lied. Erwin came over and wrapped his arms around both of them. If only he'd done something sooner. They sat there holding their son as he cried for hours. He eventually cried himself to sleep and they tucked him into bed. They stepped outside his room to talk.

"I'm going to call Mary. See if they're planning on holding a funeral or not. If she isn't, then we are." Erwin said, sighing sadly.

Zoe nodded and said, "Alright. I'm going to stay with Jean. I know how much Marco meant to him... This has to be so hard on him..."

Erwin nodded.

Zoe sighed and said, "I just can't shake this feeling that Marco meant more to him than we know."

"What do you mean Zoe?" He asked.

"Erwin, I think Jean was in love with Marco. I mean, it'd make sense. He was always looking out for him and he always got so upset when Marco would say a girl was cute." Zoe said, looking at the sleeping boy.

Erwin nodded and said, "I think you're right. After I call Mary I'll come check on you guys."

Zoe nodded as well and kissed the blond man. He walked off the make his phone call and Zoe walked back into Jean's room. She sat down on the bed next to him and stroked his hair. She lay down next to him and he cuddled up to her like he used to do when he was little. She held him and stroked his hair as he slept.

"I'm so sorry my little boy..." She whispered, kissing his forehead again.

~X~

Erwin sighed as he hung up the phone.

"Un-fucking-believable..." He muttered, sighing heavily.

Marco's foster family wasn't even going to have a funeral for him. Erwin had cursed Mary out and said he would give Marco the funeral he deserved. He walked upstairs to check on his wife and son and found them both asleep. They were cuddled together and it made Erwin think back to when Jean was little. He sat on the bed on the side not occupied by his wife.

"Back then you didn't have to worry about anything like this..." He sighed, stroking Jean's hair lightly.

He lay down and draped his arm over both his wife and son and quickly fell asleep.

-Two Weeks Later at Marco's Funeral-

Jean was the last one to place a flower on Marco's casket. The other flowers on the shiny black box were lilies and daisies. Jean placed a small bouquet of white roses and forget-me-nots on top of the other flowers. He stood between his parents who both had an arm around his shoulders. After the funeral service, all the people in attendance slowly left the cemetery. A few days later, after Marco's casket had been lower into the ground and his gravestone had been set in place, Jean went to see him. He held a bouquet of white roses and forget-me-nots in his hand similar to the one he'd placed on the casket, only bigger.

"Hey Marco..." He said, kneeling on the grass in front of the large stone.

A picture of Marco was leaning against the stone. It was a picture Jean had taken that spring. In the picture, Marco was wearing one of Jean's hoodies. It was too big for him but he insisted on wearing it anyway. Marco was smiling brightly at Jean, who was taking the picture, and he had a light blush on his freckled cheeks. Jean loved that picture. It was on his bedside table and it was the screensaver on his phone and his laptop. He placed the flowers down in front of the picture.

"I brought you some more roses and forget-me-nots... I know they're your favorite..." Jean said, gently caressing the blown up picture.

Tears came to his eyes and he began to cry again.

"I'm sorry Marco...! I know I promised I'd be strong but I just can't...!" Jean said, bowing his head.

He wiped the tears off his cheeks and looked at the picture again.

"I'm so sorry Marco... It's all my fault... If only I had said something sooner I could have-..." Jean choked on his words.

He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I never got the chance to tell you that I loved you... I loved you more than anything in this world... I wish I could have told you before you..."

He took a deep breath before finishing.

"Before you died... I'm so sorry..." He said, beginning to sob.

Suddenly, Jean felt familiar warm arms wrap around his shoulders. He gasped and looked over his left shoulder.

His eyes widened and he muttered, "Marco...?!"

Smiling at him lovingly was Marco Bodt. But Jean could almost see through him.

"It's not your fault Jean..." Marco said.

Jean tried to argue but his voice refused to work.

"No matter how much you blame yourself, it isn't your fault. And I'm sorry I lied. But I really didn't know what to do."He continued, smiling sadly.

Jean forced his voice to work and said, "Marco, I... I really love you! I'm sorry I never told you...!"

Marco's smile grew and he said, "Jean, I knew that you loved me. I could tell. You we always there for me and you protected me with everything you had."

Jean tried to hold back his tears.

"I have to go Jean... And just know that I always did, and always will love you too..." Marco said.

He gently placed a kiss to Jean's lips before fading away. Jean gripped his shirt over his heart and began to sob again. A little while later, Zoe and Erwin came to get their son. They took him home and he fell asleep, where he'd spend his dreams with Marco.