Wow. Sorry for the wait! I hope you guys are okay with a long chapter because this thing is over 6,600 words! Tons of stuff happens and I am so glad to finally get this chapter out. I really hope you guys like it!

Many, many thanks to my amazing beta tuttifruiticuti for being an amazing friend and for kicking my ass into gear when push came to shove.

Also, many thanks to everyone who dealt with me being depressed, anxious, and just basically being done with life while I wrote this chapter. This is for you. :)

Please enjoy~!

August 27th, 2012

I woke up to my alarm blaring in my ear, and for the first time in years, I hit the snooze button. I needed just a few more minutes before I would be ready to face the world after the hellish weekend I had had. I rolled over and stared at my wall, trying to make sense of what had happened. I stared and stared, yet no clarity came to my mind. I closed my eyes before too long, my alarm was going off again and I honestly wondered if I could pass off as being sick just so I could stay home. I turned over and reset my alarm, setting the time for 6:45. I pulled the covers up over my head, forming a protective cocoon around my body, as I fell back asleep for another hour or so.

When my alarm went off again, I slowly blinked my eyes open, hitting the off button to stop the loud noise. I sat up and stretched, yawning as I gently rubbed my eyes, trying to wake myself up. After I was conscious enough to function at a fairly normal level, I left the warmth of my bed and walked to my closet.

"What to wear, what to wear," I muttered to myself as I peered through my closet. I grabbed some jeans, my favorite gray, plaid shirt, and all of the other clothing necessities for the day, before heading to the bathroom.

I had planned on taking only a ten minute shower, but the hot water on my aching muscles just felt so good, causing my plans to fade from mind. I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the warmth, trying not to think of how I was going to handle today. 'Shit. Not now.' I thought as I wrapped one arm around my torso as my other hand came up to cover my mouth. I felt sick, and the sobs that were threatening to bubble out of me weren't helping. Eventually, the pained cries I had been holding back slipped out, along with many tears as I cried alone in the shower.

'Goddammit! Why?' I thought, my tears mixing with the water pouring down on my body. 'Why us?'

Soon, the warm water began to turn cold and I knew it was time to face the day, unwilling as I was. I turned the cooling water off and I grabbed my towel, quickly drying myself off before getting out and checking the time on my phone.

"Seven thirty!? I was in the shower for forty minutes?! Shit!" I scrambled frantically, trying to pull on clothes onto a still slightly wet body. I hurriedly plugged in my blow dryer and tried to get as much moisture out of my hair as possible, knowing full well that it would still be damp when I got to school. After a few minutes, and when my hair was mostly dry, I glanced at my phone once more and let out a soft curse at the time. I grabbed my favorite hat, a red beanie that made me look like even more of a douche than I was, and put it on, ruffling the hair that stuck out so it could actually pass as a decent style.

I grabbed my backpack from its spot by my desk and ran downstairs, tousling both Armin and Eren's hair before kissing my mom's cheek and swiping a bagel, running out the door with only seconds to spare. I quickly got into my car and drove off, waving goodbye to my mother and siblings as they waved back from the front porch.

I raced to school, thankfully hitting every green light on my way. I arrived just in time, running to my locker to switch out my books and then hurrying to my first period class. I looked around the classroom when I arrived, my stomach clenching when my eyes passed over Marco's empty seat. 'Just get through the day, Kirschtein. Then you can see Marco.' I looked around the room again, just now noticing there wasn't an annoying blond shouting in my ear. "Oh right. They were suspended." I whispered under my breath, resting my head on the desk in front of me. "I'll see them at practice then. Oh shit practice. Fuck me." I groaned, hitting my head against my desk gently, stopping only when the girl in front of me turned and glared. I shrugged, pillowing my head with my arms and falling asleep for the period.

I woke up to the bell and walked in a daze to my next class, promptly repeating my nap from first period. The rest of the day passed like this: waking up to the bell, trudging to my next class, before collapsing into sleep once more. The final bell of the day woke me up more than the others, however I still felt like I was trapped in an endless fog. I couldn't seem to forget the sight that had repeated in every class. Marco's empty desk haunted me and I silently prayed that he would be back to fill it soon.

My feet dragged as I made my way to the locker room. I was dreading seeing everyone, especially Reiner, because I knew that he was going to make some joke at Marco's expense. 'Just hold it together for two hours, Kirschtein. Two hours, then you can leave this hell-hole.' I thought while I walked out onto the field, narrowly avoiding getting tackled by Reiner.

"The Fuck, man?" I rounded on him, my hands balled into fists at my sides. I was so on-edge today. It felt like any little thing could set me off. 'He's gonna make a joke. I know it. Just stay calm.' However, my anger broke down into shock and confusion when Reiner started laughing out loud.

"Dude it's fucking awesome! Marco's actually in the hospital! In a coma! Dude we did it! We broke the freak!" Reiner was laughing so hard he was nearly crying. He slapped me on the back hard enough to hurt before clasping my shoulders, looking me in the eye. "We did it, Bro. We totally succeeded."

I hung my head, trying to hide the pure and utter rage that was filling me. I couldn't bear to look Reiner in the eyes. I didn't know what I would do if I did. 'Jean. It's okay. Just control it. Reiner's an ass. He doesn't know. Just let it go.' I whispered in my head, shaking off Reiner's hands and walking towards the rest of my team. But Reiner grabbed my shoulder and spun me around to face him again.

"What's wrong, Jean? It's not like anyone cares about him. He doesn't matter. He's just a piece of shit that got what he deserved. He's worthless." Reiner gave a half smile, and I lost it.

I snapped a quick jab to Reiner's face, smirking when I heard a crunch from his nose and he went down. I quickly leaped onto him, continuing to punch the living shit out of him, all while muttering under my breath. "You're the piece of shit. You need to grow the fuck up. Marco. Isn't. Worthless." Each syllable was punctuated with a punch anywhere I could reach. 'Beat his face in. Kick his ass. Teach him a fucking lesson. How DARE he say those things about Marco! How dare he! God I wouldn't care if he -' The tornado of thoughts spiraled and spiraled in my head. With every passing spiral, the thoughts got darker and the punches got harder. I didn't hear the whole team shouting at me to stop until the coach had pulled me away from Reiner. I fought his grasp, trying to get back to kick Reiner's ass some more. 'I need to teach him a lesson! No one talks about Marco like that and fucking lives!'

"Jean! Stop!" Erwin shook me a little bit and I just froze, my thoughts stopping and leaving my mind blank. I stared down at my bloody fists and then glanced up to look at Reiner, being helped to the sidelines by Thomas and Daz. I slumped in Erwin's grip, all of the fight and anger in me gone. He lowered me to the ground, making sure I was still able to sit up, before crouching next to me.

"He said something about Marco, right Jean?" Erwin questioned quietly, whispering so no one else could hear us.

I flinched and nodded slowly, my thoughts racing through my mind. 'How could anyone say anyone else is worthless? Even if you hate someone, they still matter to someone. Oh God what have I done?' I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came, so I quickly shut my mouth and cleared my throat before trying again. "He said Marco was w-worthless." My voice shook as I started to tear up. "Marco's in the hospital. He o-overdosed Saturday night, because of what Reiner told him at my party. He's in a coma, and the doctors don't know if he'll wake up. I-I can't lose him, Coach. He's my w-world." My voice was thick with emotion, tears falling slowly down my face.

"I'm so sorry that's happened, Jean. Go clean up then go home. Since the fight was provoked, I'll lessen the punishment slightly. You can attend practice, but for the next week, you can't participate. I'm sorry to do that, but its school policy." Erwin sighed, standing up slowly, offering a hand to me. I nodded my understanding of the punishment while I let him pull me up.

"Thank you, Coach. It means a lot." I whispered before making my way to the locker rooms I had left only ten minutes before. I changed back into my normal clothes then made my way to my car, driving to the hospital to see Marco. 'Please Marco. Please wake up.'

I made it to the hospital by a little after four and was let in to visit Marco without too much difficulty. Sitting in the chair by his bedside, I held his hand with one of my own, my fingers tracing invisible designs on the back of his hand. Reaching up, I gently touched my fingertips to his still-bruised cheek, a choked sob making its way from my throat.

"Marco. Marco." I sobbed out his name, my hand falling from his face to clutch his hand to my chest. "Marco I need you. I love you. Please, come back to me." I searched his lax face for any sign of waking up, as if my pleading could bring him back. When I found nothing, I lay my head on the bed, my shoulders shaking in silent pain. I pressed his cold hand to my cheek, willing him to come back to stroke the tears away.

I sniffed, lifting my head and sitting back in the chair, still rubbing random patterns onto his hand. "I don't think I ever told you how or when I knew I loved you, Marco." I spoke to the empty room, as if Marco could hear me, wherever he was.

"It was the one other time you came to my back to school party. Seventh grade." I let out a short laugh, remembering how awkward the party had been, my tears slowly drying while I recounted the tale. "We got a giant group to play spin the bottle. Of course, I already had a crush on you. When you spun and it landed on me, God was my heart beating fast. I was certain you would hear and you would figure out why I always tried to be your partner in class or tried to eat lunch with you. But you just stood up, walked over to me, and you gave me the shyest peck on the lips. You turned so red I couldn't see your adorable freckles anymore. I'm sure I was just as red, to be honest. But I knew, in that moment, that I loved you. Ever since then, no matter how I tried to get you off my mind, loving you was always there." I kissed the back of his hand, gently playing with his fingers.

"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. I just . . . I didn't know how. If I had known what I was doing was causing so much pain, I would have just come out and told you. I'm so sorry, Marco. I wish I could take all those years back. I wish I could have just confessed after that party. Heh. You probably would have thought I was crazy. Hell, I still think I'm crazy. I can't believe how much I adore you, Marco. God. If only I had the courage to tell you all of this to when you could hear me." I sighed, content with what I had said, even though Marco couldn't hear me.

"But I can hear you."

I jumped, startled, whipping my head to stare at Marco. 'He can't be. Can he?' I frantically searched Marco's face for any signs of awareness. When I found none, I sighed, rubbing my face wearily. "Just fucking great, Kirschtein. You're fucking hallucinating your boyfriend's voice. Great fucking job you idiot." I groaned, deep in my throat, resting my head on the bed as the sadness returned.

"God Jean. I never knew you were such a dork." The hallucination spoke again, laughing slightly. The laughter turned to coughing and I looked up in shock when I felt Marco's body actually move with the coughs. My eyes welled up with tears as I saw Marco turn towards me as his coughing subsided. "Hey Jean." He whispered, smiling gently at me.

"Marco!" I shouted, practically leaping on him as I hugged him tightly. My tears were falling freely now, but I didn't care. I had my love back. He was okay. He was alive. "Don't ever do that again, you hear me! Never fucking again!" I pulled back to look at Marco's face. He was pale, and his eyes were slightly cloudy, like he was still in a daze. But he was here with me and that's all that mattered. Resting my forehead against his, I stared into his eyes, trying to convey all the love and adoration I had for him in a single look.

"Marco. I thought I had lost you. Please don't leave me, ever again. God, I love you." I whispered, kissing him gently, yet with all the passion I felt for him. I knew my tears were falling on his cheeks, but I didn't care. I had him back.

"Jean it's okay." Marco whispered when I broke the kiss, smiling at me. "I'm here. I'm alive. I'm safe. So stop crying you dork." He embraced me with the arm that wasn't stuck with the I.V. keeping me close to him. "I'm not leaving. Ever." He promised.

I slowly stopped crying, pulling back slightly so I could just stare at Marco. I smiled happily, yet the smile faded when I remembered the first words he spoke. "How much did you hear, exactly?" I questioned, a blush starting to make its way onto my face.

Marco actually looked embarrassed, blushing slightly, before he cleared his throat to answer. "I faintly heard you talking, but I couldn't make anything out except that it was you. The first thing I remember hearing clearly was 'I don't think I ever told you how or when I knew I loved you, Marco.' But please don't be embarrassed! It was really sweet and super cute. It's adorable that you've loved me for so long." He laughed slightly, staring up at me, suddenly looking very earnest, like his next words were the most important words in the world. "Actually, it makes me feel a little better, knowing that the moment you fell in love with me was the same moment I fell for you."

I gaped at Marco like a fish out of water, completely stunned. 'Marco fell in love with me . . . With our first kiss. Just like I did.' The tears began welling up again and I hugged Marco tightly, clutching him as if my life depended on it. "Marco. I love you. So goddamn much." I held onto him, making sure he knew how much I loved him.

"I love you too, Jean." He said gently, coughing slightly. I pulled away from him, staring at him, making sure he was okay.

"Do you need anything? Water? A better pillow? Anything? Oh, and I should probably let the doctors know you're awake too. I guess I got a little distracted." I smiled at him, pulling away completely from him, reluctantly getting off the bed. "I'll be right back, Marco. Don't worry." Marco smiled back at me, making a "shoo-shoo" motion with his hand as I hurried out of the room to the nurses' station.

"Hey. Uh. Patient Marco Bodt in room 104 is awake. I think he needs some water too." As soon as I said Marco was awake, two of the nurses sprang up from their chairs and rushed into his room, one of the remaining nurses at the desk calling the on-call doctor on the overhead intercom. The fourth nurse smiled at me and gently led me away from the desk and away from Marco. I struggled a little bit, wanting to get back to my boyfriend, before she spoke.

"I know you want to get back to him, but it's going to be pretty busy in there for a few minutes. They're going to need to do some tests on him and it's generally just easier to move around when there isn't a visitor in the room. Why don't you call your parents and his parents to let them know that he's awake, okay?" She spoke kindly to me, leading me to the waiting room. "I'll come and get you once you can come in again, okay?"

Reluctant as I was to let Marco out of my sight for more than a few moments, I nodded, understanding the need to keep me out of the room. "Okay. I'll let both our parents know. Thanks for helping." I said quietly, taking a seat on the far side of the waiting room. I pulled out my phone, dialing Marco's house first. I waited, practically holding my breath while it rang. On the third ring, a hesitant female voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi. This is Jean. Is this Mrs. Bodt?" I asked, honestly questioning if the scared voice could even belong to the same hyperactive woman I met only a few days ago.

"Hi Jean. Yes, this is Hanji. Is everything alright? How is Marco? Is he still okay? Oh God did something happen while we weren't there? God is he okay?" She fired off questions at a rapid pace, barely giving herself time to breathe or me any time to get a word in.

"Mrs. Bodt. Everything is okay. Please breathe." I waited until I heard her take a few deep breaths before continuing. "Actually, Marco woke up a few minutes ago. There are doctors and nurses talking with him and running some tests at the moment, but I'm sure that by the time you get here, he'll be free to have visitors." I heard her gasp in shock when I told her that Marco had woken up and I smiled slightly, feeling a little better now that his family knew that he was okay.

"Oh thank you, Jean! We'll be over right away! Thank you so much for telling us!" Her happy, hyperactive personality seemed to return in a heartbeat as she thanked me, like I was the one that caused Marco to wake up. I murmured a small "you're welcome" before she hung up the phone with a small click. I pulled the phone away from my cheek, a small smile still on my face. I quickly dialed my home number, relaying the same message to my mom, hearing the happiness all over again.

After both of our families had been notified, I sat back in my chair, sighing wearily. I knew I had to prepare to interact with both our parents and potentially our siblings, but I was just so goddamn tired. 'It's hard to believe that just an hour or so ago, I was beating the shit out of Reiner. I'll have to apologize tomorrow, but whatever. Marco is alive and that's all that matters now.' I smiled, seeing the doctors and nurses come out of Marco's room. Standing up, I made my way over to Marco's room, and, hearing no objections, I walked inside and took my place in the chair beside his bed.

"Hey Love. How are you feeling now? Still okay?" I questioned, picking up Marco's hand, interlacing our fingers. He gave my hand a small squeeze and I knew everything was going to be okay.

"I'm okay. Still sorta out of it, but okay; my head hurts though." He squeezed my hand again, smiling weakly at me. "I'm assuming you called our parents?" He said, blinking slowly and tiredly. I knew he still had a lot to go through, but I would be by his side, no matter what. I kissed the back of his hand gently before responding.

"Yeah, they know. They'll be here shortly. Oh shit." All of a sudden, I remembered that I had told both of our families that we were dating. And Marco didn't know. "Shit. Shit. Shit." I let go of Marco's hand and stood up, beginning to pace around the room. Marco's worried gaze followed me, silently questioning what the fuck I was doing.

"Ummm, Jean? You okay there buddy?" Marco asked, bracing himself on his good arm, shifting slightly into a sitting position. His eyes never left my pacing body, but I was too far into my panic to even realize what he was doing. 'Shit. How am I going to tell him? I fucking came out to our parents. I fucking told them that we are dating and Marco doesn't know. Holy shit I fucked up.' My thoughts were racing as I continuously paced around the small hospital room, gripping my hair with my hands.

"Shit Marco. I fucked up. Big time. I told our parents that we're dating. They know. Fucking hell. How are we going to do this? What are they gonna say? They seemed fine when I told them, but now what will they do, now that you're awake? Shit Marco this is bad. God I'm so sorry. I can't believe I-"

"Jean. Shut the fuck up. Chill."

I froze at Marco's words, turning to him in complete surprise. "Huh?" I cocked my head to the side, completely and utterly confused by Marco uttering the worst curse I had ever heard him say.

"Jean. Everything will be okay. Just sit down and take some deep breaths, okay? I know my parents will be nothing but happy for us; I'm sure that your parents will be the same way. Seriously. Calm down." Marco stated calmly, motioning with his hand for me to sit by him. I walked over and collapsed in the chair, covering my face with my hands and groaning low in my throat.

"I'm sorry I did that, Marco." My voice was muffled, but I knew he could still hear me. "I didn't even think. I just needed to be with you and they wouldn't have let me if I hadn't told them. I'm so sorry." I hung my head in shame, my hands falling to my lap. I didn't want to look at Marco. I knew he was okay with it, but I still felt awful that I had betrayed his trust like that.

"Jean. It's okay. They would have found out eventually, to be honest. Sure, I would have liked to have been there when you told them. Or at least conscious. But it's okay. Seriously. Don't worry so much." Marco smiled at me, ruffling my hair gently. I looked up at him and I knew that everything would be okay.

"MY SON!" The door burst open and Hanji rushed through, collapsing onto Marco's bed, hugging him tightly. "You're okay! Thank Heavens!" Her voice cracked and I knew that she was beginning to tear up from the happiness and relief. I quickly got up from my chair and stood in the corner of the room, giving Marco's family time to surround him with love.

"Marco!" Christa exclaimed, running over and holding Marco's hand to her face. He gently wiped away the tears, the way only an older brother could do. She beckoned with her free hand to their two siblings, still waiting in the doorway with their father. Bertholdt slowly made his way over to Marco, stunned, as if he couldn't believe he was okay. When he reached the bed, tears began to stream down his face as he knelt by Marco's head, clutching onto the hospital gown tightly. However, Mikasa's reaction was the one that brought Marco to tears.

"Polo!" She screeched, running as fast as her stubby legs could carry her. Hanji lifted her onto the bed and Mikasa immediately started bawling, hugging Marco as hard as she could. "D-don't do that, Polo! Don't s-scare me!" Her words came out in stutters, the force of her tears causing the words to jumble. She head-butted his chest gently, tears soaking his shirt.

"Mika, I won't do it again. I promise." Marco said calmly, his tears still falling slowly. He gently caressed her hair, pulling her close. "I'm here. I'm okay." I felt a few of my own tears fall as I watched the touching scene between the family. I saw a small movement out of the corner of my eye, and I turned slightly to see what it was. Levi was wiping away a few tears, his stoniness betrayed only by the wetness in his eyes.

"Thank you, Jean. Thank you for bringing him back to us." Levi whispered, sniffing away the last tears. I whispered back my response, letting him know that everything was okay. He gently touched my arm, so faint I wasn't sure it had happened, before going over and resting a hand on his wife's back.

'Everything is going to be okay.'

Hanji and Levi re-entered the room after they were called out by the doctor a few minutes before. Two nurses came with them, one of them carrying the clothes Hanji had brought with her. The nurse set the clothes down on the chair and began taking the monitors off of Marco while the other began taking the I.V. out. I flinched when they began taking the I.V. out, worried about the pained look on Marco's face.

"Okay!" Hanji spoke loudly, getting everyone's attention. "The doctor told us that, even though the normal procedure with suicide attempts is inpatient, he is allowing us to bring Marco home today under the conditions that someone is to be with him twenty four seven for the next week or so. This is so that everyone can be certain that you won't repeat these events. I hope this is okay, because it's what we've decided to do."

Marco blinked, slightly shocked that he wouldn't have to spend more time in the hospital, yet quickly gained his composure again. "Yes. That's understandable. Thanks for doing this for me." He smiled at his parents, pure and utter relief on his face.

"Okay! Now that that's settled, who wants dinner?" Hanji nearly shouted, already beginning to herd her children out of the room. "Red Robin sound okay?" There was a chorus of "okays" and one "yum!" from Mikasa. Hanji laughed a little at her youngest child's reaction as she finally got all of them to stand in the doorway. "Jean." She began. "I'll leave Marco in your care. Just please get to the restaurant shortly." She called over her shoulder as she swept her children out into the hallway, their laughter and excited voices getting fainter and fainter. I stared at the doorway, not really comprehending all that had happened. I heard Marco laugh slightly behind me and I turned to look at him.

"They're really something, aren't they?" He laughed again, smiling at me. "They're all a little odd, but I love them." He shifted slowly into a sitting position. "So, you gonna help me or just enjoy the view?" He struck an over-the-top pose, biting his lip, but I could see the gears in his mind spinning.

I gave a half smile, now realizing all the happiness and smiles he had been full of were just a show. He was still hurting, and I didn't know how to help. "Sure," I mumbled, grabbing the clothes the nurse had set down on the chair. I helped Marco shift slowly until he was sitting on the side of the bed, holding him tightly when he swayed a little from dizziness. Slipping his underwear onto the correct legs, I braced myself under one of his arms and got him standing up, turning away to give him a little privacy as he started dressing.

"Jean. I-"

"Let's get these sweats on, okay?" I cut him off, not wanting to hear any apologies he felt he needed to make. Everything was my fault, directly or indirectly, so he had nothing to be sorry for. At least, in my eyes he didn't. He finally tied the knot on his pants and I reluctantly let go of him for a moment, so I could grab his shirt and help him into it.

"Jean. Please. I'm-"

"Marco. Stop. It's fine." I cut him off again, slipping a pair of flip flops onto his feet. I stood up again and wrapped my arm around his waist, trying to move towards the door. However, when Marco failed to move with me, I stopped and turned to face him. "Marco. I-"

"I'm sorry."

His words were barely a whisper, his face bowed, hiding from me. I gently tilted his head up, cupping his face with my hands. A few tears slid down his face and I quickly wiped them away with my thumbs. "Marco." I murmured, tearing up myself. I wrapped my arms around his torso, feeling his arms come around my shoulders as we held each other close, both crying silently at this point.

"Jean. I'm so sorry." His voice was muffled from where he had pressed his face into my shoulder. I felt his shoulders shaking with his sobs and I just clutched him tighter, trying to keep him grounded in the moment. I held him and rubbed his back until his frantic sobs had diminished into occasional hiccups of a cry. Sniffing away my own tears, I pulled back just enough to look at him.

"Marco. It's okay. You're here and you're alive. That's all I needed." I wiped away a few straggling tears, smiling gently up at my boyfriend. Slipping my arm around his waist once more, I looked at him and gave a small, sad smile. "You're going to be okay. We're going to be okay." I whispered, kissing his cheek gently, before helping him out of the room and to my car parked out front.

The ride to the restaurant was silent. I held Marco's hand the whole time, almost like I was making sure that he was still here with me and that this wasn't some elaborate dream I was living. Marco stared out the window the whole time, looking at me only when I squeezed his hand slightly whenever a horrible thought or feeling surfaced in me. When we arrived at Red Robin, Marco visibly paled and nearly stopped breathing when I turned off the car. I unbuckled my seat and unbuckled his too, moving my seat back and pulling him into my lap, much like what I did before we got ice cream only a few days ago. I rocked him, softly murmuring sweet nothings, trying to get him to calm down.

"Shhh. Marco. It's okay. Everything is going to be okay. I promise. It's just dinner, then we can go home and sleep." I rested my head on his shoulder, coaxing him to take slow and even breaths with me. I gently rubbed his back until Marco had calmed down enough for me to pull away slowly. "C'mon Marco. Let's go have dinner."

I opened my door and shifted enough so that he could exit the car first, before I followed him. I locked the car and took his hand in mine, smiling softly. I led him to the restaurant door and opened it for him. "After you, My Dear." I said, half-joking with him, bowing slightly.

"Thank you, My Good Sir." Marco responded, smiling genuinely for the first time today. He entered Red Robin and I followed shortly behind, seeing both of our parents waving excitedly from the table reserved for large parties. Making our way to our families, Marco tried to pull his hand from my grasp, but I only help onto it tighter.

"I'm not letting you go. No matter what." I murmured in his ear when we got to the table. I pulled out a chair for him, kissing his temple when he sat down. Sitting in my own chair, I glanced over the menu, more for looks than actually deciding what to get, since I always ordered the same thing every time I went here. I looked up at the rest of the people seated at the table, flinching slightly when I noticed Levi's hard glare at me. 'Apparently whatever we shared this weekend doesn't carry over to normal life.' I thought to myself, giving Levi a small, half-smile before staring unnecessarily at my menu.

"What are you getting, Jean?" Hanji nearly shouted across the table from me. She smiled at me, seemingly genuinely interested in my meal of choice. I shrugged, not understanding her excitement, but answered nonetheless.

"I'm going to get what I always get, the sautéed shroom burger. Personally, it's my favorite meal." I replied, turning to Marco and nudging his shoulder gently. "What about you, Marco?" Marco looked up at me, slightly helplessly, and I remembered that he had issues with eating. Reaching over his arm, flipping the page of the menu, I pointed at a meal that he might have been okay with eating. "Here. This one should be okay. You just have to eat one. I swear." Marco smiled, still looking slightly fearful, before nodding once, showing me that he was okay with my proposition.

When the waitress arrived to take our orders, I smiled again at Marco, clutching his hand underneath the table. I looked around the table, focusing mainly on Levi and Hanji and how they reacted to Marco only getting the kids meal chicken. Their faces fell, only slightly, before Hanji slipped her "happy face" back into place and Levi fixed his disappointment behind his cool demeanor. I kept a hold on Marco's hand, making sure that he knew I was there for him.

The entire table chatted away, both of our families interacting as if they had never grown apart from each other. Marco and I, however, just sat in silence, holding hands and watching our families. We both smiled when Mikasa, Armin, and Eren started talking excitedly in the way only young children could. They waved their hands around, using them to explain the story more than their words. My mother had to move Eren's drink away from his grasp after his story telling got a little out of hand and he had nearly knocked his glass of milk down. Both Marco and I laughed at his response, a little pout of annoyance. Our food came shortly after, all except Marco digging in, the conversation lulling into small contented sighs and quiet sounds of chewing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Marco quietly breaking apart the two chicken tenders into tiny, bite sized pieces, stopping occasionally to pop barely a shred of chicken into his mouth. I nudged his leg under the table with my own, looking at him pointedly when turned to stare at me.

"I know what you're doing. Please stop and just eat one whole one. For me?" I whispered under my breath, only letting Marco know what I wanted. His eyes pleaded with me, silently calling my name and questioning me "why" with his gaze. I gave a half-glare back at him, telling him to 'don't give me that shit' through my slightly annoyed glance. Marco just sighed, turning back to his shredded chicken, slowly popping pieces into his mouth. I nodded, turning back to my burger, getting nearly done before I felt a slight nudge against my leg.

Marco pointedly looked at me, before glancing back at his chicken, passive-aggressively showing me that he had eaten half. I rolled my eyes and shrugged, nudging his leg with mine. 'You win some, you lose some.' I thought to myself as I took another the last few bites out of my burger, finishing my food along with the rest of the table.

We were getting up to leave, heading out the doors when my mother called my name. "Jean." She said quietly, pulling me away from the group to talk to me privately. I followed her off to the side, not really understanding why she would need to talk to me. "Jean," She repeated, "Your father and I talked with Hanji and Levi. All of us are okay with you spending the night with Marco. We know how stressful these past days have been for you both and we wanted to give you boys some time to talk and just de-stress with each other. Is that okay?"

I half smiled, looking over my shoulder at Marco holding a tired Mikasa, catching his eye. My gaze softened when I saw how content he was. He seemed legitimately happy for once, not showing the mask he nearly constantly wore. I looked back to my mom, nodding my consent, before turning and walking back to our families, touching Marco's shoulder gently.

"I'm going to spend the night with you, okay?" I whispered quietly, making sure not to wake the sleeping five year old that rested on Marco's other shoulder. He turned to me and smiled, and I instantly knew that everything would be okay.

The drive to Marco's house was a quiet one. Marco was nearly asleep in the passenger seat, eyes drooping as he stared mindlessly out the window at the dark that was slowly falling around us. When I pulled into his driveway, he seemed to wake slightly, just enough to get out of the car and lead me up into his house and up to his room. I was glad that he was awake enough to do so, simply because I had only been in his house once and didn't even know where his room was. We stripped off our clothes quietly, too exhausted from the emotional day to even make small talk. I realized that I didn't have any pajamas to wear, or clothes for tomorrow for that matter, but I didn't care. I'd take care of that issue in the morning.

We flopped onto the bed, getting under the covers before I pulled Marco against my chest. I wrapped my arms around him, nuzzling his neck tiredly. Kissing his cheek gently, I saw his eyes slowly fall shut, and I whispered quietly in his ear.

"I love you, Marco. With all my heart."

"I know." The reply came back in a hushed whisper with a gently kiss to my cheek.

We fell asleep smiling, content being in each other's arms.

So... Anybody cry? :)

I hope you guys liked it! Please leave your thoughts and feelings about the chapter and story. If you want to see something happen later on, mention it and I will probably take inspiration from it and give you credit if I use it! I'm always looking for inspiration!

This story has sad themes and really sad moments, but the ending WILL be a happy one. I promise! Please keep reading on!

My tumblr is Riverspirit86 if you want to talk about anything really. I'm tracking the tags: riverspirit86, fic: is it love, and jeanmarco is it love

If you ever need to talk or vent about anything, please feel free to send me an ask! Doesn't matter if we've never talked before. If you need someone, I'm here for you :)

Again, many many thanks to my lovely beta, tuttifruiticuti! You are the best friend I could ever have. Many thanks to this story for bringing us together :)