Ymir started her day the same way she had most nowadays, with a puppy tongue in her face and a groan. She was apprehensive about today, Jean was coming back from Hawaii a single man and she knew he was going to be a wreck. She’d busied herself walking her dogs and cleaning her house most of the day. Even though he hadn’t ever said yes to her offer, she prepared her house for him to stay a while anyway; his idea to move back into the frat house didn’t sit well with her and if she had to fight him on the subject she would. The hours dragged on that day terribly slow, she wasn’t sure she’d ever check her watch that much in a day before. She ran down by the beach, spent some time at the coffee shop and what seemed like a million other things before deciding to spend the last half hour before she had to go cleaning out her truck. All in all it only took her about 10 minutes and she spent the rest of that time laying in the box of her truck trying to figure out what the hell she was going to say to Jean when he stepped off that plane. I mean, what do you say to your best friend after him and his fiance split in Hawaii of all places. As a thought dawned on her she ran back into her house to look for something she wasn’t even sure she had anymore but sure enough, there it was in a back corner of her closet. It was a tattered old sweater that was too big for either of them and riddled with holes around the cuffs, a disgusting shade of green but the softest material around. It’d been picked up at a thrift store as a joke when they were young, or for a costume, Ymir wasn’t really even sure anymore where or why they’d gotten their hands on it anymore but it had morphed into a somewhat security blanket for the two of them, especially Ymir when she was going through treatment and they had passed it back and forth over the years. Neither one of them had needed it in years now but Ymir had a feeling it’s old familiarity would be comforting tonight. Slipping the sweater on she rushed back out to her truck and zipped off the the airport, unsure and uneasy about the state Jean was going to arrive in and what was going to happen from here. When she arrived at the airport and parked she quickly rushed inside, being a bit behind schedule from looking for the ugly sweater, and sought out the appropriate gate. Most people waiting there were sitting but Ymir was standing, right at the front, a bit too anxious to stop her feet from tapping and shuffling as she waited.
@kirschfine
Hawaii had been beautiful to say the least. The cool island air that rushed over the tall blond as he walked to the taxi cab almost convinced him to stay. Maybe the change of scenery would help him clear his mind and sooth his heartache. Maybe even meet a couple girls he knew he wouldn’t have to see again, the beach condo was a great place to bring back girls and Jean knew that was the one thing he was good at. But he couldn’t. It was the first time in his life that every time he thought about sleeping with someone new, he suffocated on guilt. Not only that but he knew he could never return to his dad’s vacation condo. The thought of what happened there wouldn’t allow him.
It was a bittersweet moment leaving the Honolulu airport. He’d had so many fond memories of vacations there but now he couldn’t even look back. His heart ached as he sat in his first class window seat and waited. He wasn’t really sure what he was expecting to happen. He and Erenay were barely compatible now that he thought about it. They fought over the stupidest things and he knew the relationship was anything but healthy. But he loved her and he thought that’d be enough. Finding out it wasn’t destroyed him to say the very least.
The plane ride was spent inhaling small airport bottles of liquor, something he’d planned on doing on the trip there but hadn’t because he had Erenay there to distract him. He hated planes honestly, they terrified him but right now he felt as if a plane crash would be the least of his worries. As absurd as it seemed, nothing could make him hurt more than he did right now. Every breath he took was shallow and he was on the verge of tears.
Eventually they cut him off and Jean was forced to deal with what he was feeling until he managed to fall asleep. The last few hours of the trip he spent napping; the first sleep he’d gotten since the last night he’d spent with his fiancé. /Ex/ Fiance.
When they got into the terminal, one of the flight attendants woke a very groggy, irritable Jean up. He shuffled through the lines of people and to baggage to get his duffle off the belt. Everything he did seemed to take longer than usual. It hurt to walk and his head was pounding. His head was overloaded with static and he wanted to scream or cry. Whichever came first. He knew this was the easiest thing he would do today. He’d have to face his apartment and the ghosts of everything he and Erenay had done there. He wasn’t even sure if he could do it. But he knew he had to.
Walking into the lobby, he looked around for his friend. Curiously his eyes scanned over the overwhelming crowds of people. They all seemed so happy, they’d been away and now they were reunited with the ones they loved and it felt like a stab to Jean’s chest. He considered just disappearing because right now he didn’t even know if he could face his friend.
But when his eyes landed on her and the horrid sweater, he stopped in his tracks. The bag that was in his hands almost dropped to the ground but his fist clenched around the handle instinctively. For the first time since the breakup, he allowed himself to sob. Cupping his forehead in his hand for a second since he couldn’t seem to make his legs work. Tears rushed down his cheeks and his sore, red eyes squeezed shut. He walked slowly to her, avoiding eye contact. Instead he stared at the scuffed tile which had seen its fair share of hellos and goodbyes. The moment seemed bittersweet in a sense. Just like his departure from Hawaii.
When he was close enough, he dropped the bag to the ground and threw his arms around her in a bear hug. Burying his face against her shoulder, he let himself go. Not caring what anyone said or how this looked. Ymir had always been his consoler and he needed her now more than ever. “Oh god, I’m so glad,” he started, unable to finish his sentence because of the ache in his throat and the crying. He was glad she was there for him; she was always there for him. His hands gripped the ragged material of the sweater over her lower back and he rested most of his weight on her unintentionally.
When he finally urged himself off of her, he pulled back so that he could look at her for a few seconds. Wiping at his eyes anxiously as he tried to force a smile or think of something to say. “I don’t even know where to have you take me. I can’t stay at the apartment alone. I’d probably drive myself crazy…” In a needy sense, Jean pulled her into another hug. He knew they couldn’t stay here all day like this but he really just needed his best friend right now. She was the one person that was always there for him and he needed this more than ever.
It seemed like she waited there for hours before people finally started filing out of the gate with their bags. She wasn’t surprised Jean was the very last person to file through those gates either, and judging by his gait he had been drinking- quite a lot. She let him stop and pause a moment when he finally spotted her, didn’t want to rush over to him right away, knowing he needed to be able to clear his head enough to do it on his own. She’d only seen him this bad a handful of times but it hurt her so unbelievably bad to see him standing on the other side of the room sobbing into his hand. When he finally broke her arms reach radius and dropped his bag reaching for her she pulled him in, hugging him probably tighter than was comfortable for him. She shushed him and tangled her fingers into his hair when he tried to speak, taking his weight in stride and supporting him while rocking slightly from side to side, “Hey, it’s okay” She whispered and just let him sob until he pulled away, wiping his eyes and trying to recover. To the rest of the airport, just like it had been in school, they probably looked like a couple. They’d been bugged all through highschool and most of middle school to date even though Ymir had been fairly upfront about her sexual orientation definitely not including men. Her grandparents even insisted she go to prom with him, not that she really minded since neither one of them were really looking for romance at the time. She could never really figure out why the friendship had never faltered or broken, or why it was so damn strong but they had gotten to the point where neither one of them really needed to even say what was wrong, they could just look at each other and know how to react. His broken and cracked voice probably hurt her the most as he spoke and she interrupted him before he could really finish what he was saying, “My place is already set up for you, don’t worry about it.” The air was pressed out of her lungs as he pulled her into another hug and she let her arms fall around his shoulders so he could hide his face behind then knowing how self conscious he usually was about strangers seeing him fall apart so completely. “It’s okay, Jean” She cooed, “You’re strong, you will make it through this.” She was in no rush to mike him move, she’d stay there for hours with him until he was ready to leave if she had to because he’d done even more ridiculous things for her in the past.
Jean let Ymir calm him down a bit, just like she always had. For the longest time she was the only one that could keep him from breaking down and that was still true. “It’s not okay.” He whimpered back, but much calmer than before. He wanted things to be okay but he knew it wasn’t going to be. He couldn’t stand the thought of her moving on and he knew it would eventually happen.
He could imagine this sight was fairly common at the airport so he was confident they weren’t drawing in any attention. People had assumed they were a couple before and he was sure that was happening now. He didn’t really care honestly. Their friendship was so durable that they could get through any awkward situation with ease. Even if Ymir weren’t gay, he knew they’d never have dated simply because they were so close that romance would complicate it. He loved her of course, but on a much different level.
The friendship was solid and nothing had ever so much as grazed it. They understood each other in ways no one else could.
When she offered to let him stay at her place, the sobbing started even harder again and he gladly hid his face when the opportunity was available. He had always been weird about people seeing him cry. Ymir was one of the only people that had. “Thank you so much…I promise it won’t be long- Your place is too small for both of us so I don’t want to bother you too much.” He stayed in the hug until he felt like he could move again, shaking his head at the idea of him being strong. He definitely didn’t feel it. “I don’t know…It hurts so bad I can’t stand it.” His body shivered, the hangover leaving him feeling unsteady. “I don’t even know what to do with myself, yknow? I’m just at a loss.” Picking his bag up off the ground, Jean’s eyes adverted to the sweater. “You still have that..?” He questioned with a laugh, a couple sniffles escaping with his words. “I don’t even remember where that came from but I’m glad to see it.”
It took a few minutes of silence before Jean started towards the doors, looking over his shoulder to make sure Ymir was following. “I’m feeling some greasy food and a couple beers. I need to just get my mind off of this…If that’s even possible. But I need to get my cat too-” The thought of the tiny cat Erenay had gotten him for Easter brought a second wave of emotion to his features. So much to the point where he just stopped walking and had to take a moment to cope with the fact that Scuba would always remind him of her. After seconds, he started walking again like nothing had happened. “Is he gonna be okay at your place with me?”
“I know, it’s not.” She admitted. It wasn’t okay and he wasn’t okay, but he’d get there, she knew he’d get there eventually but it was going to be a long rough road there. Jean had never been in a relationship. He’d always been somewhat against them. Never needed or wanted one. She remembered him questioning her when she had gotten into her first relationship and constantly nagging her /why/ all the time and all she could tell him was that he’d understand when he was in a relationship one day. She never expected his first relationship to be so wildly emotional. Or for Jean to wind up engaged and expecting so damn soon in his very first relationship but hey, some things just end up that way. She furrowed her brows at him, “Dude, stay as long as you need.” She said as if it was obvious, “I’ve been wanting a bigger place anyway, you could just move in.” She said it as if it wasn’t a big thing but she was nervous she was pushing too hard too fast; she really just wanted to be able to keep an eye on him because she’d never seen him quite this broken before. She watched him grab his bag and walk towards the door, “Hey, you’re gonna make it through this okay.” They’d faced some pretty big hurdles together, 7th and 8th grade alone, let alone the rest of their friendship, she knew he’d make it through this eventually. “Dude I could never get rid of the green machine, this thing is a legend.” She pulled the sweater up over her head. “I brought it so you could wear it if you want but it’s kinda soggy now. I’ll wash it when we get home.” She nodded her head to food, in truth she was starving anyway and was about to voice her opinion on where they should eat when he came to a halt at the mention of the cat. She walked up behind him, sliding a reassuring hand over his shoulders, “It’s okay, the cat will be fine at the house” And just like that he started walking again as if nothing at had happened so Ymir went along with it. “Where should we go to get food then.” She offered, leading her best friend to where she was parked and tossing his bag behind the seats of her small truck. “I’m buying.”
At the mention of Ymir getting a bigger place and him moving in, Jean blink in surprise. He hadn’t expected it but the option was definitely welcomed. “Yeah man…I actually really like the sound of that.” A nervous chuckle escaped his lips and he scratched the back of his head anxiously. “I’m going back to work tomorrow so I’ll pay half the bills.” He reassured, Jean was always known to be kind of an idiot but he always paid his bills on time and was a decent housemate. Aside from the promises of random girls coming and going at night.
The reassurances were welcomed and he nodded, trying to keep positive. There were really only two options: they’d stay broken up and he’d move on or they’d get back together and things would hopefully be okay. As much as he prayed the latter scenario worked out, he knew he couldn’t expect it. He’d just end up making it harder for himself if it didn’t happen. “You’re right. Maybe I’ll be surrounded by babes in a couple days.” Jean let out an awkward laugh and grinned as he watched her pull the sweater off. “Yeah? I kinda made a mess.” He admitted, reaching for the piece of fabric and holding it under his arm. Even just holding onto it made him feel more at ease. It probably seemed silly but the piece of fabric had seen them both through some tough times. He had faith that with his best friend, he’d make it through this.
Jean shivered when he felt her hand on his shoulders, his lips curving up at the edges into a wretched smile. His heart twisted and the sense of relief sunk in his gut as it had been doing all day. She was calming him down but at the same time, he felt sorry for her. Having to see him like this. He knew if the roles were reversed, he’d be crushed.
“Good, I’m gonna need the little fucker at night so I’m not alone.” He laughed again, somber this time. The idea of being alone in bed terrified him. Ever since the accident, he had night terrors and they woke him up at least once a night. Erenay usually held him through the cold sweats and sobbing but now he was more alone than ever. When food was mentioned again, he perked up. “Fuck, somewhere on the beach-…that little burger place.” He suggested, climbing into the passenger’s seat and throwing his seat belt on. “Haven’t been in this damn thing in so long.” He teased, looking around the small truck curiously. “I’m surprised the damn thing still runs.” Once she’d started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot, Jean zoned out. Sinking in the seat and staring out the window. Every building or sight they passed managed to remind him of how sad he was. How could he escape if this was all he had known for the past four months? Eventually, he felt the lump in his throat and had to turn back to Ymir. “/So/, how are things with the little blonde..?”
Ymir rolled her eyes and shook her head at Jean’s mention of paying bills on time, it was literally the last thing on her mind but chose not to say anything. She knew he was probably mostly just saying it for normalcy and she couldn’t blame him for that after everything that had happened. Ymir snorted at his comment about being surrounded by babes, some things never changed. Jean was off and she couldn’t really say she wasn’t expecting it nor could she really blame him. The last four months had been a whirlwind and it’d all come to a screeching halt. And more than anything she knew she’d probably have to keep him busy to keep his mind occupied and not devolving into stress and sorrow. “You can snuggle the dogs too, lord knows Cash loves that.” She acted unphased but she knew what was going on. She had a fairly high suspicion that Jean was worrying about how she felt through all of this and really she just wanted to make sure he was okay. Since he’d been shot and on the medication for that his moods had been all over the place and now this. It wasn’t much of a burden and she was well aware of the effects medication could have on your mood. Jean had been the one to hold her up through all of her medication trials through the treatment of her A.D.D. He stood by her when she literally couldn’t sit still and screamed ugly, hateful things at him and when she was so despondent she couldn’t feel or say anything but ‘it’s okay’ as he sobbed over her complete lack of emotion. He’d been through her worst and barely flinched and he was still worrying about her now when his life was falling apart. What a stupid idiot. “Mean Gene’s!” She exclaimed pulling onto the street heading towards the boardwalk and one of their favorite places to eat. “Hey now, she’s old, but she’s tough.” She patted the truck dash fondly as Jean zoned out. She glanced at him every once in a while as she drove and finally he made a sound. “Oh- Good, actually. I took her out to that chinese place on fourth, you know, the one with all the fuckin’ lights on the ceiling. Was a good time.” She smiled fondly, her date had really gone well and she hoped there were more in the future. “Hey- did you hear that Connie apparently has more game than both of us? I guess he was at the beach with two girls yesterday.” She finally pulled into a parking long a few buildings away from their destination. “Shit’s weird Jean, our son is growing up.” She laughed climbing out of the truck and and grabbing the ratty green sweater before bumping the door closed again with her hip.
He shrugged, the idea of cuddling Ymir’s dogs wasn’t something he was fond of but ifhe got desperate enough he just might do it. “Will I wake up with slobber all over my face or?” He teased, already knowing the answer was most likely a yes.
Jean was more than aware of his mood swings and he knew that if anyone understood, it was Ymir. He’d supported her while she’d gone through all sorts of hell with her treatments on different meds. There’d been nights where she couldn’t sleep and he would sit up with her on Skype if he couldn’t be there in person. He knew she would take care of him now that he needed her but they were much older and he didn’t want to do that to her. He didn’t want her to worry about him at all.
The large male rolled his eyes at the mention of the restaurant, tapping his foot anxiously against the floor. “Yeah, that one. How the hell do you memorize such a stupid name.” He mumbled, mentally cursing the jokes a few of the older women in the little diner would make about him being “Mean Gene” when they were teenagers. He usually threw a fit over it and corrected them on his name being /Jean/ but the ladies were long gone from working there and he didn’t have to deal with it anymore. “Yeah I’m surprised the damn thing hasn’t broken down on you.” He teased, although he was actually surprised. The damn truck was about as old as them. Jean hummed and elbowed her shoulder when he heard about the date. Nodding excitedly; he’d really liked Historia and he was proud of himself for introducing them. “You fuck her yet? She’s pretty hot.” He admitted with a soft laugh, winking in his friend’s direction. “You owe me for telling her about you.” When Connie was mentioned, Jean straightened himself out and shook his head. He really wasn’t sure what to say about their other friend, he seemingly walked into a disaster. “Yeah I don’t know what he was thinking. He can’t juggle two girls.” He mumbled, shrugging his shoulders into a relaxed position. “He did grow up, hopefully he picks one though because playing with two is a bad idea. He’ll end up with slashed tires and mono.” He teased, eagerly sliding out of the truck and slamming the door since it had to be shut in just the right way or it wouldn’t shut completely.
Once in the quaint diner, Jean slid into one of the booths, his hands resting on the red and white striped leather that had noticeable cracking in it. Neither of them even had to look at the menu, they’d been eating her practically since they’d met. “Remember coming here after prom? Everyone else went somewhere fancy and we came here.” The memory brought a huge smile to his face and he felt genuinely happy for the first time that day. Memories of their friendship always were bittersweet however, they were some of the best times of his life and he wasn’t sure it would ever be so blissful like that again. They were adults now and life was much harder.
When the short, slightly chubby waitress came over and got their order Jean effortlessly rattled out that he wanted a cup of black coffee and a double cheeseburger with extra bacon and a shit ton of fries. He’d always been the weirdo that drank coffee at every meal and he was comforted in knowing his appetite wasn’t suffering any from the breakup. Once Ymir had ordered, Jean glanced towards the waitress again and watched her walk away. “She was kinda cute.” He mumbled, looking in his friend’s direction for an opinion. He had a soft spot for people with extra weight since he’d been chubby as a kid up until middle school. Knowing how it felt to be teased for it, he didn’t really take weight into equation most of the time because luckily for him puberty had hit him like a brick wall. “I missed hanging out with you…”
“How do you not memorize such a stupid name when you’re best friend is the butt of all the jokes for my entire teenage life.” She was giggling thinking back to all the times he got bugged and his name was mispronounced for the sake of a middle aged woman’s joke. She feigned offence “Excuse you, a lady never kisses and tells!” Fanning her face to emphasize her offence. She dropped it soon enough though, “No, I haven’t, thank you very much, because I am a gentleman….woman….you get my point.” Tossing a grin over her shoulder, she agreed, “I really do owe you for that one, she’s really great- Tiny little thing, you know I’m over a foot taller than her?” Her fondness of the blonde could be seen plain as day on her face but she didn’t really care. “Hey- to be fair I don’t think he went into it thinking it was a date, little guy’s pretty slow sometimes. But what do I know.” She was surprised Jean remembered about the door, it’d been a while since he was in the truck at all. She wrapped the sweater around her hips and tied the sleeves in the front as they walked and when they got inside it was like coming home in a way. They’d been there so often in high school, spent so many nights here, drunken and sober. It was so familiar and warm. At mention of prom she burst out laughing “YES!” She drolled. “We were the only people here and you gave me your suit jacket and I sat here in my frickin slip and your jacket eating waffles because I couldn’t stand that poofy monstrosity anymore.” laughter bubbled out of her as she remembered the scene. Ymir shook her head at Jean and his stupid coffee, although with the amount that he likely drank on the plane he probably needed coffee more than anything right now despite the late hour she supposed. She ordered after Jean, Chocolate milkshake and a bacon cheeseburger with extra pickles and mushrooms and a whole lot of fries. At Jean’s comment and questioning look she quickly turned back around to check the waitress out, “Not bad, not too bad at all” She agreed nodding her head as she turned back around and huffed back against the back of the “I missed you too dude. I feel like I missed everything, I came back from my trip to Canada and everything was different.” She chuckled fondly. Jean hadn’t come with her this time to Canada for her yearly trip and when she got back he had been…at least seeing his now ex-fiance and she felt like she’d been playing catch up ever since. Not that she really minded, she was glad Jean had found someone who tamed him a little; there was just so much she missed.
He dropped the subject for the remainder of the car ride, not wanting to harass her too much right off the bat. “Yeah, he didn’t seem to realize what he got himself into.” Jean chuckled, running his hand through his hair tiredly. “He is kinda slow. But it works for him in a way. I think he makes women feel safe because he’s a fucking midget. Where I have trouble because I’m a fucking giant.”
At the mention of her trip to Canada, Jean frowned. He was used to going with her and he felt guilty for not. “Yeah…Things have been kinda weird around here. I thought leaving the state would help but it didn’t.” His voice was quiet and she could probably see through his façade and see that he felt bad for it. “But anyway how was your trip?”
The waitress brought their drinks and Jean sipped at the coffee as soon as the waitress set it down, grunting in pain when it burnt his lips despite knowing that it was going to happen. He never could quite catch onto the fact that coffee was hot. Watching the woman walk away again, he whispered something under his breath along the lines of “I’d like some fries with that shake”. His usual sexual comments were expected whenever he went out in public with Ymir. Normally he got himself into trouble with it too, Ymir always ended up being the one to talk him out of doing dumb shit. As he did for her on occasion.
Eventually her silence about the date with Historia started to eat him up and he burst out dramatically, “Oh come on, we tell each other everything. I’ve told you all about my sex life right up to the mole on that one chick’s pussy.” He teased, letting out an amused snort before rolling his eyes; ignoring the glances from the elderly people in the booth beside them. He never remembered the girl’s names and usually found defining physical features to differentiate between them. And Ymir always heard about his mishaps or on the other hand he’d tell her which girls were worth the hassle. That was all done now though, his desire to sleep around was slowly diminishing. It was still there but now all he wanted was Erenay. Although he pushed thoughts of her away. “She’s hot, have you seen her tits yet? If she sends you nudes you should show me.” He knew Ymir understood that he didn’t actually expect that since things seemed more serious with the blonde than most of the girls they’d hooked up with in the past but he still had to make the joke.
“It’s kind of amusing how he just kind of ‘whoops’ his way into things and I feel ya there.” Jean had always been at least three inches taller than her until about 9th or 10th grade when she grew about 4 inches in a short span and leveled out with her friend. They’d stayed about the same height since. She saw Jean frown, he’d been with her to her mom’s place in BC so many time it had been weird going without him this time she’d admit, but she couldn’t expect him to go along every year. She shrugged, “It was good, we went up to Whistler and rented a cabin, mom got mad at everything, we ended up getting separate cabins a day later. You know- the usual, no trees this time though.” She laughed, he and her mom had never been on good terms and it tormented Ymir for years, but now that she was older she’d stopped making it her driving force and came to terms that she would likely never get along with the woman and would just be glad she agreed to spend any time with her at all. Jean and his coffee, she was certain he’d be 80 and still burning his lips on his coffee, it made her smile that some things just never changed. Speaking of things that never changed- Ymir shook her head with a grin, “Aaaand he’s back, ladies and gentlemen.” Jean’s comments never ceased to amuse her, or the way he just couldn’t /not/ say something once it popped into his head. “I was beginning to worry about you.” It wasn’t quite as much of a joke as she made it sound, Jean could never go very long without making some comment about a girl or what he’d done or would like to do or god knows what but before she had time to make another jab at him she was being assaulted for details. “Oh my god Jean, we went out for Chinese food, I told you that already.” She laughed at his ranting because it was true, they were probably more open about what happened in their beds than most were comfortable admitting but it never really phased either one of them. “Yeah- and I never asked to know about that mole by the way. It was like it kept staring at me when we hooked up, was unnerving.” Might’ve been weird to most that they had slept with the same girl, on more than one occasion too, but it never really bothered either of them. They had a weird sort of system worked out that they were sure most people thought was entirely too open. “…no Jean I have not seen her tits yet, it’s not like she flashed me in the middle of the restaurant, Jesus.” She was trying to be serious about it but laughter was creeping it’s way into her words. “No! No- You DO NOT get to see any of her nudes, mostly because I don’t have any but if I receive said nudes you don’t get to see them. You hang out with her and I know you can’t keep your mouth shut and I’m not about to get my ass kicked by a girl that’s not even 5 feet tall.” She was still laughing when the waitress brought them their food. Her stomach immediately roared and that smell and she glanced at Jean to see if he’d noticed. “Mmm, Cash is gonna be so stoked you’re moving in.” She said around a mouthful of fries, “It’s unnatural how much that dog loves you.” She smiled before biting into her burger and when she was finished chewing she continued “You wanna look at apartments tomorrow or?”
Jean listened to Ymir talk about how the trip had gone with her mother, frowning as he thought about the idea. “Yeah…its probably for the best that there were no trees. Your body couldn’t handle it and I don’t think I could handle being that worried again without dying from anxiety,” He remembered the accident clearly and he’d been distraught the entire time until he was certain she’d be okay. “What doesn’t your mom get mad at? I’m surprised you even still bother with her-…shit sorry, you know I’m not very fond of her.” He felt awful for being so negative but he hated how oblivious she was to how amazing her daughter was. He didn’t understand how she could be cruel.
Grinning at the comment, he scrunched up his nose and looked down at his hands. “Don’t worry though…I guess I’m just changing. Strangely enough, I don’t know if it’s for better or worse.” In all honesty, he hadn’t changed too much. He was still the same old Jean but he concealed emotions a lot better now instead of blurting out just any old thing that came to mind. At least around others but when it came to Ymir, he felt so comfortable that he didn’t care what he talked about. He knew she’d never judge him. “Is Chinese food slang for puss or are you serious-..? Shit. You actually like her don’t you?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow. Ymir had been like him in some ways, he knew that she hooked up quite a bit because they shared girls often in the past but when he saw the way she lit up when she talked about Historia he knew something was different. “Right?! I couldn’t even get off with her, I had to fake it cuz that damn thing was distracting.” He admitted with a laugh, shrugging the bad memory off. The girl had been hot enough clothed but once her pants were off, he lost interest.
Whining when he was denied, Jean shrugged. “Oh come on! I won’t say anything…/please/? I only said something one time, you know I don’t break the bro code unless I have to. And it was only about Emily because she was smoking hot and I wanted to hit it again. Every many for himself out there when it comes to getting pussy, sorry dude.” He teased, remembering that he had gotten jealous one of the girls they’d shared showed more interest in Ymir than him. Granted she was basically a lesbian, Jean still wanted a second go at her so he’d told on Ymir for showing the nudes. It hadn’t really worked out in his favor but it was worth a shot. Jean mentally noted that he was thankful he wasn’t so desperate anymore. Maybe Erenay had turned him around for the better. Shaking the thoughts of her away, he looked back to Ymir and grinned. “She would kick your ass!”
Jean’s grin flat lined when the waitress returned with their food, his eyes instantly meeting with her’s and he was half tempted to leave his phone number for her. She was cute and he and Erenay were done right? “Thanks, sweetheart.” He purred, his eyes half lidded as he crossed his legs under the table. Something he did when he gave someone his full attention. When she put his plate down in front of him, Jean purposely brushed his hand against her’s. When she left Jean’s eyes immediately went to Ymir and he hoped it wasn’t too obvious what he was doing but he was certain it was. “Did you say something?” He questioned, having missed any conversation that’d happened while he was trying to put on an act for the waitress. The male tried to brush off the situation and nodded at the mention of her dog, dumping a ridiculous amount of ketchup onto his fries in the process. “Yeah! I’m excited to spend time with him…it’s been awhile. /Dog/ you say. You talk about him like he doesn’t think he’s people. Besides, he’s like our son anyway.” He teased, he’d watched Cash grow up from a little pup and when he used to have his Shiba Inu, Drake, they would take their puppies everywhere with them. It was something they’d bonded over. Taking a bite of his burger, Jean quickly grabbed for his napkin to wipe his face. “Hell yeah, no offense but I don’t want to sleep on your couch for too long.”
Reaching for another sip of coffee, Jean cleared his throat. “I wanna look for a place that where our rooms would be on opposite sides of the house though, for when we have company over…That way we don’t wake each other up.” He was a little ashamed that he instantly thought of Erenay and how loud she was. He shouldn’t be planning to hook up with his ex-girlfriend. But he knew Ymir would likely have company over too and he got grumpy when he was woken up.
Ymir shrugged, “I wasn’t ever what she wanted and it’s easier once you realize and accept that.” She knew she’d never be on any sort of decent terms with her mom, she was pretty sure she reminded her of her dad too much for her to ever be okay with her, “Plus, if she hadn’t been so done with me you wouldn’t have all of this as a best friend” Waving her hand in front of her she started to laugh.
She snorted when Jean asked if Chinese food was slang, “Surprisingly enough, Jean, Chinese food really just means Chinese food. And yeah….I kinda do, I don’t know, I don’t wanna rush this one.” She’d rushed a lot of things, her whole life had been a rush from one thing to the next it seemed, her attention problems always pushing her forward -sometimes before she was ready to move on. But, as corny as it sounded, Histy made her want to slow down and held her attention. At the mention of the mole she snorted, “To be honest I only hooked up with her to see if it was as bad as you said.”
“Yeah you broke the bro code once but I still got my ass kicked verbally and shoe thrown at my head!” She tossed a fry at Jean, bouncing it off his forehead. “And it was one of those pointy healed ones too ya jackass.” It had been, and it had sucked but never the less it was one hilarious memory. “I learned my lesson that day. ‘Never show Jean nudes ever’”
She watched him go through the motions with the waitress, something she’d seen numerous times in the past and had to force herself not smack him up side the head before the waitress left again. “Really Jean?” She leveled him with her “are you serious” look she had basically perfected on him. “Do you know how hard it was for me to not smack you in front of that waitress? Sharon almost made an appearance.”
“He really is like our son.” She smiled and continued eating. She’d gotten Cash as puppy when she still lived with her grandparents as a way to prove to them she was getting better. And the dog had helped her a lot as well. “None taken, I want my living room back.”
At mention of sleeping situations Ymir snorted, “God I hope they’re on different floors.” She really did not want to be able to hear Jean or whoever he happened to be polling, likely Eren. She knew they weren’t going to stay split forever. Which meant she’d actually have to hang out with them and probably speak to Eren face to face and she wasn’t sure if she could maintain a straight face if she had heard them the night before, or any night for that matter.
Jean’s heart ached for Ymir at the comment. “That’s not how being a parent works.” He retorted bitterly, it was hard for him to see how Ymir’s mother treated her and he’d snapped on her in the past yet nothing seemed to get through to the woman. At Ymir’s comment, the lump in his throat disappeared and he cracked a sad smile; his hazel eyes glimmering from being on the verge of tears. This was how he got everytime they discussed her family. “Yeah…you’re right. And who the hell knows where I’d be without you.”
Hearing Ymir talk put Jean in mind of himself. He felt the same way about Erenay and it made him sick how much reminded him of her. He couldn’t really handle it right now so he thought about his friend and her new interest. It was cute to say the least. Ironic that they both seemed to be settling down at around the same time. “Hm. I’ve never heard you say anything like that.” He taunted, cocking one of his eyebrows questionably.
“Wow! I’m sorry dude! I wanted-” Not even bothering to finish after the fry was thrown at his head. He shook his head and frowned. “Sorry! I would’ve dodged the damn shoe for you to get quality pussy a second time. You know that! …Why is it that the good fucks are always crazy?” He questioned, thinking back to the girl as he continued to eat. “Oh please, I’m a lot more mature now! That was like…6 months ago?! It’s been basically /forever/.” Six months wasn’t really a long time and he knew that but he wanted Ymir to share info when she got it.
Pretending to not know what she was talking about, Jean shook his head. “…What?” He questioned, not able to keep a straight face. “Think she’s into me? I wanna leave her my numb-” At the mention of Sharon, Jean stopped talking and just stared at her for a couple seconds. “No! Why, come on. I need the distraction and Sharon isn’t a good distraction right now.” Writing his number on a napkin, Jean stuck it away for when they left.
“That’d be nice…I can get kinda loud..I’m sure you remember from those times you’ve been at the frat house for parties.” It was sad how much of their memories were made over both of their slutty personalities. He knew he shouldn’t be proud of it, but he kinda was. They had fun and they’d grown a lot closer from the shenanigans. Instead of looking at it as an addiction, he chose to look at it as a collection of memories he and his best friend could cherish forever. Even if their partners didn’t find it as amusing as they did.
Finishing up his meal, Jean went back to sipping at the almost empty cup of coffee. Waiving the waitress over so he could hand her his debit card, not allowing Ymir to pay for her’s. Something he had a habit of doing since he always wanted to take care of Ymir; even if he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself. Once he’d paid, he slipped the waitress the napkin that had his name and number on it; she seemed into him too and he was thankful for it but at the same time he felt more than guilty. He didn’t want anyone else so he knew he was only fucking with her because he was hurt and felt sorry for himself. Moving towards the door to follow Ymir out, he let out a deep sigh. “Home now I guess..? Well your home- I’m not ready to get shit from my apartment. I don’t wanna cry again so soon.”
Ymir’s mom had always been a sore spot for the both of them, Jean and Ymir cherished family; both for completely different reasons. Ymir had fought her mother for years before she came to terms with the fact that there really was no point in it; they’d never see eye to eye. It stopped hurting as much once she stopped thinking of her mother as a parent and started thinking of her as just another adult family member.
She grinned wide at Jean’s taunt about Historia, “Which is exactly why this is the first time you’re not getting the nudes.” She stuck her tongue out at him. Yeah okay, maybe she’d been in a few more relationships than Jean but it wasn’t any secret that she had never really wanted to settle. Even when she did get into a relationship in the past it was usually for the wrong reasons and she knew it wasn’t going to last very long. “You know that tiny little girl almost out ate me? I don’t know where she puts it, she’s not even 5 foot.” She also wasn’t one to gush either but here she was.
Ymir sucked her teeth and shook her head. “Be glad I feel bad for you right now and know this isn’t going anywhere because by all rights I should slap you.” Other people might see a sleezeball trying to pick up girls straight out of a committed relationship, but Ymir just saw her best friend trying to distract himself from the pain of something he wasn’t quite ready to be done with; so she let it slide.
“Oh god don’t remind me.” She cringed. Indeed she did remember how loud Jean could be…and half his frat too at that matter. She might have been gay and interested in the same goal as the guys there but she really did not enjoy the chorus of grunts and moans come the end of the party night. She learned real quick not to stay at the frat house after the parties despite her and Jean’s common goal in it; but she did always inform Jean of her leave beforehand. And Jean always did the same. It was weird how despite their slutty tendencies they always looked out for and cared for each other first.
“You ass, I told you I was buying.” Ymir scowled at Jean across the table as the waitress took his card. She’d long since stopped fighting to pay for things when they were out and Jean felt the need, she’d learned it was a futile fight and was easier to pay him back with gifts and favors that he couldn’t say no to.
She watched Jean slip the waitress his number and scowled. “I swear to god, Jean, if I have to clean up that mess I’m charging you double rent and a pedicure.” Walking out she turned back to Jean, a softer, gentler smile on her face. “Yeah let’s go home, you need some sleep. I can pack up your stuff from your place tomorrow if you want. Or whatever.” She wasn’t really sure what the protocol was for this situation but he was closer to her than most of her family was and there wasn’t much she wouldn’t do to help him out. “Let’s go.”
Jean gave Ymir his best fake pout once he was told he wouldn’t be getting to see any nudes, knowing it wouldn’t change anything but he couldn’t help but hope. He didn’t even want to impose on a serious relationship like that but he did believe in bros ranking each other’s choice in girls. “Oh come on, I show you nudes when I get them!” He argued, kicking her under the table. At the mention of Historia, Jean let out a soft snort. She was definitely an interesting girl and he couldn’t help but laugh at the new information. “That’s cute. Why do the small ones always have huge appetites? I bet she could kick your ass too. I’d pay to see that!”
When he thought about it, this whole situation meant basically nothing to him and he couldn’t really justify why he was hitting on someone so soon. It helped him forget about having his heart tore apart in front of him but he couldn’t really blame Erenay for that. It’d been both of their faults and he definitely could’ve prevented it. But now that it was done, he wanted to do whatever it took to get his mind off of how shitty it was. “/Yeah/, I deserve that. But this is somehow helping me, so please don’t.” Offering her a sad smile, he realized that she understood how torn up he was right now; she had been overly gentle with him since she picked him up and he appreciated the break but he knew that maybe he was getting himself in too deep if Ymir was showing concern for the situation.
The cringe on his best friend’s face brought the smile back to his. He knew that she had a large idea of what he sounded like in bed because he was pretty sure he’d gotten drunk enough to fuck a girl in the same room as her once. Not one of his proudest memories honestly. He remembered apologizing endlessly the next day. But even so, he never let a girl come between his friendship with her. They both took the ‘bros before hoes’ logic a little too seriously. Instead of women passing his mother’s approval, he usually made sure they were up to Ymir’s code. And vice versa. They had both been pretty picky in the past.
“Oh please, when do I ever let you pay?” He reminded her every time they went out that she wasn’t allowed to pay. He’d been raised up that the woman shouldn’t, even if she was only a friend he still wanted to act like a gentleman. Something he was shockingly pretty good at when he tried. Which was rare. It was a wasted effort to try and stop him when it came to his best friend though, in his opinion she deserved it more than most.
Shaking his head, he could see the concern on her face and he knew she was probably right for being apprehensive. “No..! I promise, nothing gory will come out of this. It’d just be nice to have someone to talk to about this shit with…and maybe receive sexual favors from.” Laughing it off, he knew he was really only interested in the latter. He only trusted Ymir, Marco and Erenay enough to tell them when something was up in his life. Following her to the truck, Jean sighed and stared at the concrete as they went. “Yeah…I really don’t know if I’ll be able to go back /there/. It just has a lot of good memories I’m trying to forget.” The idea of going back to he and his ex-fiance’s old apartment was too much to bare right now. There were so many things they’d just left before going to Hawaii and he couldn’t stand to see it. “Home sounds nice though. I can’t wait to force your pets into cuddling me.”
