Note: I assumed that “free space” meant that we get to pick the subject, but if it didn’t... ah well, oops.
Day 1: Free Space
“There’ll be a hole on the floor if you don’t stop pacing around soon, Jean” Armin says to the man who just keeps walking back and forth in front of him “Sit down and calm down.”
“I’m as calm as I can right now” Jean says, wiggling his hands behind his back.
“Just let him be” Connie says “If we did get him to sit down, he’d start ranting to calm his nerves instead. I’d rather listen to his footsteps than his whining.”
Jean stops, glaring at Connie over his shoulder.
“You- “
Whatever he had to say, it dies down on his tongue as the door opens and Annie steps in. The men turn to look at her, expectant.
“It’s over” she says. As the three continue staring at her, she makes room to let someone else pass from the doorway. When no one moves, she adds: “Pieck’s fine, and so’s the baby.”
That’s all it takes for Jean to rush past her, vaguely registering Armin scolding Annie about the way she’d started it, saying that it was too misleading, but that’s all he managed to hear before getting upstairs. Wasting no time, he headed for the room he knew Pieck to be in. Meeting the midwife at the door, he quickly gave his thanks before entering.
Pieck laid in the bed, holding her baby in her arms. Their baby.
“Hey” he says.
“Hey” she says back “You can come closer you know; neither of us bites.”
Smirking, Jean says: “I happen to know that that’s a lie on your part.”
Pieck snorts.
“Really? I just gave birth and you’re already telling dirty jokes?” she asks “At least let me rest a day or two.”
“Sorry sorry” Jean laughs as he comes over, looking at their sleeping, black haired baby. One that looked more like its mother, thankfully. The child wouldn’t have horse jokes directed at it… probably “A boy or a girl?”
“Throw a guess”
Jean was pretty sure it was a boy, but he didn’t want to embarrass himself by getting it wrong. But after his wife had said that, not saying anything would make her realize exactly what he was thinking, and that would be an even bigger embarrassment.
“A boy”
“Correct” Pieck answers, holding the baby out for Jean to take “Here, hold him.”
He takes his son in to his arms, seeing the baby stir a little as he is moved, but in the end, he doesn’t wake up. He just continues to slumber, only now in his father’s arms instead of his mother’s.
This was a surreal moment for Jean. So many times, he had thought he’d die in battle, his first time being at Trost, his own home town, at the age of 15. After he had joined the scouts, he sometimes dreamed that, if he was lucky, he’d be permanently crippled one day while on duty, and thus could safely retire with pride before he got himself killed. He had considered surviving the fights with the titans, and later the war, very unlikely. And yet here he was, during a time of peace, with his wife and their newborn son.
“Wife that tried to kill me and who I tried to kill when we met” he thinks, snorting “But well, that’s kind of a thing around here, at least if we ask the Arlerts.”
“What?” Pieck asks, having noticed his laughing.
“Nothing, just thinking” he says “If someone had told me of this situation six years ago, I would’ve laughed to their faces or have them sent in to a mental hospital.”
Pieck laughs, knowing exactly what he meant.
“Had someone told me about this situation six years ago, I would’ve bitten their head off” she says “Literally.”
“Ouch” Jean says “In more ways than one. Surely the idea of you and me together couldn’t have looked that bad to you, could it?”
Pieck shrugs.
“After our fight with Eren, no” she says “But before forming the alliance? We were enemies, Jean.”
“…Point taken” the man says. Wanting to speak of something else, he asks: “Have you thought of a name?”
“I have some ideas” Pieck answers “You?”
“Well, yeah” actually, for a few years now Jean had had an idea of what he’d want to name his son if he ever had one, but he knew that the child’s mother would have to approve of it as well “What would you think of- “
“Knock knock, anyone home?” Connie called out, slamming the door open as he did, waking up the baby while he was at it. Needless to say, the startled bundle started to cry. Connie got a glare from both of the fresh parents, causing him to smile sheepishly.
“Oops…” he muttered “Sorry.”
“You’re lucky that I’m tired” Pieck tells him.
“But I’m not” Jean says, handing the baby back to her before turning to Connie. The shorter man raises an eyebrow, saying: “Fine. I’d rather take you on any time than her.”
But Jean can barely reach Connie before Annie kicks their legs out from under them, saying as they hit the floor: “If you’re going to fight, do it outside.”
“Annie! You can’t just barge in like that!” Armin called out as he too came in “Sorry, Pieck”
Pieck just smiles, trying to soothe her crying baby as she does.
“No harm done”
“Your husband getting thrown on the floor is not harm?” Jean asks, still laying where he’d fallen.
“You’re alive, aren’t you?” Pieck asks.
“Aren’t you two just lovely?” Connie asks as he gets up, and no one misses the sarcasm “So, a boy or a girl?”
“A boy” Jean answers as Armin helps him up.
“Cool” Connie grins “You did once say that if you ever had a son, you’d name him after- “
“Shut it, Connie” Jean hisses “We haven’t decided on the name yet!”
“You already had such a strong opinion on this? You should’ve said so” Pieck scolds, but then processes Connie’s words “But if you say you want to name him after Eren- “
“As if”
“Good” Pieck chuckles “Just making sure. Then, after who?”
Jean hesitates.
“It’s not like we have to pick that one” he says “You had ideas too, didn’t you?”
“So? I should at least hear yours” she says, smirking “And we can always use my ideas for the next ones.”
Jean blushes a little and the others laugh.
“Well,” he says, clearing his throat “I was thinking of the name Marco.”
The name was vaguely familiar for Pieck. She remembered Jean asking about someone with that name from Annie and Reiner before they had left for the continent during the war, and remembered that the man had been indirectly fed to a pure titan by the said blonds. And judging from Jean’s reaction from that night, he’d been really close with the guy.
“Sure” she says, and Jean stares at her in disbelief “Seriously?”
Pieck shrugs.
“Why not?” she asks “Marco Kirstein sounds good, doesn’t it?”
“Sure does” Connie puts in before Jean can tell his opinion “Right guys?”
“It does” Armin confirmed “Right Annie?”
The woman just nods.
“This isn’t a majority vote you guys” Jean snaps, but then smiles “You’re right, though.”
I'm a little out of Tumblr because I'm moving out in the near future, buuut...
1) I'm 100% into organizing a Jeanpiku week from April 4th to April 10th. That way there is enough time to make fanart/fanfic/edits/playlist/whatever you feel like. Also, I think ch. 139 comes out the 9th, maybe we can use it as an inspiration (but at the same time avoid the possible shipwreck for most part of the Jeanpiku week).
I wanted to make a prettier post with a banner or something, but I keep procrastinating this because of it (I'll make it later, don't worry).
2) For now, any suggestions for the week themes are MORE THAN WELCOME (deadline for that is March 27th at 23:59 GTM-3, when the pretty official post comes out).
The link in Spanish and below you can read it in English (which is not my first language, so sorry for the mistakes)
It's right at the end of 139.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Her eyes burned. Maybe if she closed them for just a few seconds she could continue what she was doing, even though she risked falling asleep, she was so tired.
The afternoon meeting with the Queen of Paradis, Historia; it had been tense. Still with the presence and support of the Azumabitos, represented by Miss Kiyomi, trying to put up with the stubborn Yeagerist Generals had made her head explode. Some of them had been quite lewd. Pieck still felt chills down her spine and her stomach churned as she remembered the red-haired guy who had tried to get her attention with highly sexualized comments.
She opened her eyes, watched Armin read carefully the pile of sheets that were scrambled on the table. The movement of the stranded ship rocking to the rhythm of the waves. Annie was sitting next to him clinging to the warmth of her steaming cup of tea; She looked tired, she wore a shawl around her shoulders that matched her eyes. Pieck took a sip from her own cup, fiddling with the delicate pen, looked at the clock, it was 4 in the morning; she sighed.
"Are you okay, Pieck?"
The blond scowled at her, they had been discussing the best strategies to convince Paradis that the deals were safe enough. Despite all these years, for the leader of the alliance Pieck's opinion was always the most important, then perhaps Jean's would come. Inside, Pieck knew that Annie was the one who really controlled most of the situations.
"I'm just sleepy," she replied monotonously, stirring her mug.
"You better go to sleep," Annie spoke.
Pieck looked at her childhood friend, she had moved closer to Armin. Sometimes she wondered why her relationship with Jean was hidden? It had been more than 3 years since the rumbling since both had started a game of innuendo and flirtatious looks that turned into a kind of relationship over the course of 1 year. Looking at Annie and Armin, caramelized, holding hands across the table; Pieck realized that she too could have the same without hiding, was it her own insecurity? If she analyzed herself, the truth is that anxiety still ran through her, she was afraid that a day would come when Jean would remember that she had always been in love with Mikasa with the same intensity that a sun lights up the summer; that Pieck was only a substitute while he was away from the Ackerman girl.
She held her breath. She had somehow checked it today, before getting off the ship; because like Reiner he was obsessed with seeing the queen again; Jean hoped with the hope that Mikasa would be at the dock to greet him, to start a family with him, just like those dreams he once told the former cart titan. And that's why her relationship with the tall boy with the ash blonde hair and amber eyes remained stagnant in the form of furtive hugs and kisses, midnight conversations, subtle brushing of hands, and sometimes sleeping together on the couch.
"The boys already went to sleep hours ago, you should do the same."
"Why don't they help us with this?" Asked a very confused Annie.
"Jean and Connie have permission from the queen to see their families and Reiner is ... Reiner."
"I can wake him up by kicking his bed."
"Annie," said the blond with a smile on his face, "it's better to leave everything for today and go all to sleep."
Pieck watched the exchange in silence, decided to say goodbye to the couple, and return to her cabin. When she came in she thought she was in the wrong room. Jean was sitting on the edge of the bed, his shirt ajar and his hair messy, he looked at her with tired amber eyes and a reassuring smile. Had he been waiting for her all this time? He got up and approached her, stroked her black hair and kissed her forehead gently, then held her hands and stayed that way.
"How long have you been here?" She asked worriedly.
He simply ignored her question.
“Tomorrow. In a couple of hours” He corrected himself“I'm going to see my family. I wanted to invite you to meet them, it's just my mother and father, how do you know” he wet his dry lips with his tongue” but it would be good if you could see where I was born and raised; I know my mom will like you.”
Jean dragged her with him to the bed, sitting side by side; He continued his monologue with a more serious expression.
"I want to try to convince them to come with us, as Connie will also with his mother." The Island is not safe and although neither is our home, at least we will be able to protect them in a better way.”
Pieck nodded at the last statement and looked at him in surprise. Jean's eyes shone brightly at each word, hypnotic.
"Do you want me to meet your parents?"
"Why not? You are my girlfriend, oh!”
The realization collided with Jean depressing him, he raised a hand to caress the small woman's cheeks, tucked the black locks behind her right ear.
"You don't want any of the boys to know," he whispered, " but you can say that you accompany me as a friend."
“Jean…”
"So the problem is my parents? Because the same excuse serves us.” He laughed at the thought.
In front of her, the tall man looked so tiny; as if he wanted to disappear from shyness and embarrassment. When she had him like this in front of her, pouring out all that she held in her heart with so much confidence, she realized that her fears were just that, fears unfounded in her own insecurities. It wasn't fair to Jean. Pieck swallowed saliva and replied animatedly.
“I would love to meet your family, like your girlfriend… is that okay?”
He felt the man's chapped lips in a harsh, surprising kiss.
"Maybe," the brunette continued calmly, " we could tell everyone at breakfast."
Jean's smile was so bright it could replace the stars in the sky
“but…”
He watched her wide-eyed, waiting as if at any moment the woman in front of him would disappear.
"You must let me sleep, I don't want to look bad in front of your mom," she replied charmingly.
Jean got up quickly from the bed, kissed Pieck on the lips, and ran to the door muttering a "good night". The girl laughed. When he reached the door he stopped and turned
“You”
“What?”
"You asked me who I was trying to impress when I was doing my hair this morning at the meeting. You" he smiled with tired eyes as he clung to the door and yawned" good night, see you in the morning. I love you”
Pieck undressed and got into bed with a smile. She regretted not asking Jean to stay, she would have appreciated the warmth, the ship was too cold; she covered himself with the blankets and closed her eyes. He wanted everyone to know and that made her very happy.
An AU where Jean is a shifter and got caught by Zeke and his men. Beside the torture he was receiving, Pieck visits him and the two start to get closer. They want to escape together - but at what costs?
TW: torture, beating, rape (no explicit rape, not between Jean and Pieck!), blood, violence, angst
Read it on AO3 or under the cut!
Chapter one - Chapter two - Chapter three
A few hours passed and the sun was starting to set. Pieck remained on Jean’s lap where she very obviously felt comfortable.
However, when Zeke entered the cell, both of them stood up. Jean made sure to keep Pieck behind him this time as well, just in case Zeke got the idea to lay a hand on her again.
“You two get along pretty well, don’t you?” The blond hummed, taking a few steps closer.
Jean narrowed his eyes. “You’re not dumb, you know you won’t get any information. So what do you want?”
“Hm? Am I not allowed to come here for some chitchat? We are similar, you and me.”
“Hah, don’t make me laugh. I’m not as pathetic as you.”
“We have both leading qualities and a sense of empathy. I can tell just by the way you’re treating Pieck- who’s actually your enemy.”
Jean raised a brow. “Pieck, who was actually your ally. You treat her like trash. That makes us nothing alike.”
“Jean, you should know the feeling of being betrayed by your friends. Reiner, Berthold, Annie, they’ve betrayed you, used you. Annie is crystallized. Reiner escaped and came back here. He shared valuable information with us, that way we were able to capture you.”
Zeke took another step closer to him, looking up into Jean’s eyes. They were burning with fire.
“However, betrayal is unforgivable and needs to be punished. I need to ensure the safety of my people, you know? And make sure nobody else thinks of betrayal. Set an example.” His eyes flicked over at Pieck. “If you would’ve done that with Reiner, we probably wouldn’t have been able to capture you. But Reiner is a slightly different case, he was sent to betray you from the start. That was his job, he never really was on your side. Pieck, on the other hand…”
The ravenette narrowed her eyes slightly.
“...is quite a loss.” Zeke finished his sentence. “It’s a shame but it can’t be helped. Rules are rules.”
“Turning her back to you was the right decision.” Jean pushed him back roughly. “You’re a poor excuse of a human being. One day, we will stomp you down, Zeke.”
There was a glint in Zeke’s eyes, a grin came to his lips. “Ah, is that so? It’s not going to be that easy, though. Floch. You can come now.”
Jean’s gaze darkened as he watched the other enter the cell. He pushed Pieck further behind him by instinct and eyed the two men. He had a very bad feeling about this.
“The hell do you want?” Jean growled.
“As I said, betrayal needs to be punished.” Zeke motioned at Floch. “I’ll leave Pieck to him while we two have a little chat.”
If someone knew of the dirty intentions Floch had, it was Jean. That man was revolting, everything he did was just out of his own enjoyment. And leaving Pieck with someone like that wasn’t something he would do.
“Touch her and I’ll kill you,” he spat, keeping Pieck close behind himself.
“You do realize you’re in no position to make any threats, right?” Zeke laughed, “you’re chained to a wall.”
“Jean…” Pieck said quietly. “Don’t worry about me. You need to worry about yourself first, that’s more important. I’ll be fine. I’m a woman but I’m also strong.”
“This isn’t about being strong. I know that you are.” He glanced down at her behind him, still keeping an eye on Zeke and Floch. “This is about treating you with respect- which I’m sure none of them will do.”
Floch grinned. “I’ll treat Pieck with much respect, I can assure you.”
Jean clenched his fists and snarled, “I’m going to fucking skin you alive, bastard!”
“Aww, jealous? No worries, I’ll still let you take me up your ass. But, you know, Pieck is just much prettier than you. That means I’ll be able to enjoy it.” Floch licked over his lips in a very perverted manner.
That made Jean even angrier. Why were these people so cruel? How could they do and talk about such things like it’s nothing and call themselves human? Once he got the chance to, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill both of them.
“Shut up before I make you!” Jean snapped.
At that moment, he suddenly felt a blow and stumbled back a little. Zeke had punched him and grabbed a fistful of his hair next to yank him forward. Jean stumbled forward with the force and attempted to pull his head away.
“Don’t touch me, you monkey faced asshole!”
The chains of his cuffs rattled, an indicator that he could not step any further even if he wanted to. Jean was now standing in the middle of the cell, his arms stretched behind his back.
Zeke forced him down to his knees and smashed his head onto the concrete floor. He kept it there by stepping on Jean’s head and shot him a grin.
Now that Jean and Pieck were separated, Floch stepped in and grabbed the young woman by her hair to drag her along.
Pieck hissed in pain and elbowed him hard in the stomach, making Floch groan and let go of her by instinct.
Jean could see her and yanked on his chains. “Run! Run!” He shouted.
Her expression saddened but seeing their situation, Pieck had no choice but to leave. So she ran out at full speed.
Zeke kicked Jean’s head and glared at Floch. “I’m surrounded by idiots! Go get her back already!”
The redhead nodded, then quickly left too.
Jean prayed that Pieck would get help from someone. He prayed that not everyone there was as sick in the head as Zeke and Floch.
“Now back to you.” Zeke cleared his throat and crouched down as he lifted Jean’s head. Jean snarled but before he could say anything, Zeke already slammed his face against the ground.
The blond repeated that, slammed Jean’s face down again and again and again. His nose that had healed not too long ago was broken again and Jean spit out blood and some of his teeth. He coughed, starting to feel dizzy.
“I noticed you and Pieck get along pretty well.” Zeke casually took a seat in front of Jean once he was done slamming his face into the ground and smiled. “How about we make a deal?”
Jean panted, his vision blurry. He tasted blood on his tongue, looking up at Zeke quietly.
“We will leave Pieck alone, no one will lay a single finger on her. I will even let her stay here with you so you can be sure nobody’s making a wrong move on her. She’ll get warm clothes and warm meals. I’ll even carry a bed down here myself where she can sleep on.”
Jean narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like where this was going. “The hell... you want?” He growled.
“The same I’ve wanted since day one.” Zeke adjusted his glasses. “I want to know where your people are hiding and I want to know about your next plans. That’s all.”
“Tsk. And how... how come you think…. I’ll give you an answer n-now?” He muttered. Speaking was hard.
“Because if you give me a satisfying answer, you will save Pieck from what’s awaiting her. You already have experience with Floch’s understanding of punishment, so you should know what he will be doing with her.”
Jean furrowed his brows deeply. It was the first time since he was captured that he felt like being in a dilemma.
Pieck was a good person, she didn’t deserve such things happening to her. She helped him ever since he was brought there and was the only one who cared about his well being even though he was the enemy. She even turned her back to her own people after what she saw them doing to him.
On the other hand, his friends would get in danger if he told Zeke where they were. Not to mention that Jean never thought of sharing any information before, it wasn’t something he would ever do.
But now Pieck was pulled into this and he was torn. He was loyal to his people but that meant letting Pieck get abused and possibly killed. Even if he decided to tell Zeke what he wanted to know, there was absolutely no guarantee that he would keep his word.
Jean honestly didn’t know what to do.
“Got her back.” Someone said and Jean quickly looked up to see Floch and Pieck entering the cell again.
Pieck’s face was swollen, definitely from Floch punching her. It was a sight he didn’t like on her- not because it made her look ugly or anything but because it meant Pieck got hurt.
“Amazing.” Zeke stood up and walked over to the two. This time, he locked the door of the cell before stepping closer to stand by Pieck’s side and looking down at the brunet. “I just made an offer to Jean. I would like to hear your answer now.”
Jean was quiet, his eyes flicking between Zeke, Floch and Pieck several times. He swallowed hard. His hands were shaking, his head spinning. He began feeling so sick. Having to make such a heavy decision was hard. He already made many hard decisions in his life but nothing was that bad.
“Maybe we can help him decide.” Zeke gave Floch a glance and it seemed enough for him to understand.
Floch’s hand came up to grope Pieck’s breast, the other arm wrapping around her waist to keep her by his side. The ravenette tried shoving him back but then Zeke grabbed her cuffs and firmly held them at a distance to her body. That way she couldn’t use her hands or arms to do anything.
Pieck squirmed and let out a string of curses, trying to escape. With two much bigger men holding her like that, however, she stood no chance, no matter how strong she was.
“Let go of me!” She frowned and moaned in pain when Floch groped her particularly hard.
“Once Jean tells me what I want to know, this will stop.” Zeke hummed innocently.
“What?! No, he won’t tell you anything!” She protested.
Floch grinned. “Then we’ll have a lot of fun.” With that, he pushed her down against the ground and pinned her arms above her head with one strong hand. The other hand began pulling Pieck’s undergarments down.
“D-don’t you even dare to touch her!” Jean yanked on the chains again, his eyes glowing. A few lightning bolts stroke near him, the shifter marks on his face forming. In a matter of seconds, his injuries were healed.
“If you transform now, the blow will kill her.” Zeke reminded him, loud enough for Jean to hear.
Jean panted heavily and forced himself to calm down again. No matter how much he hated Zeke, he was right. Pieck wouldn’t survive being this close to a transformation. So Jean inhaled and exhaled a few times and tried to calm his nerves.
“Jean,” Pieck’s voice could be heard. She turned her head to look at him, a look of confidence on her face. “No matter what, don’t tell them anything. I’ll be fine, I promise. Hold on some longer. It takes more than that to get through me.”
Jean looked over at her and saw the determination in her eyes. Although Pieck knew the situation she was in and the consequences, she chose for Jean to still not share any information. His gaze moved to Floch, then to Zeke.
For a moment, he really thought about just telling them what they wanted to get Pieck out of that situation. So Pieck didn’t have to experience such things.
He thought a little more about this situation and realized something: No matter what he chose, there was no way Zeke would keep his word. That wasn’t like him. Zeke would do anything to get what he wanted, so there was no telling he would really leave them alone afterwards. Chances are he wouldn’t.
Jean exhaled deeply, feeling his body relax slightly. Pieck’s words gave him the assurance he needed. “She’s right. I’m not telling you anything.” He stated with confidence.
Zeke looked him up and down for a moment. “If that’s the case, I guess I have no other choice.” He snapped his fingers and Floch continued his previous actions.
Jean continued struggling against the chains, throwing curses and threats at Floch because that was the only thing he was able to do at the moment. It didn’t help, however, and Floch was soon having his way with Pieck. She did try to kick him back and get away from underneath him but it was no use.
The room was filled with Jean’s shouting and Pieck’s discomfort.
When Floch ripped off her bra in the middle of his actions, the clinking sound of the key she had hid there echoed in the small cell. Suddenly, everyone fell silent.
“Isn’t that…” Zeke picked it up and raised a brow. “If I’m not mistaken, this one looks exactly like the one for Jean’s cuffs.”
Pieck frowned deeply, messy hair all over her face. She panted and glared up at Zeke.
Zeke hummed, “I’ve got a new idea. Finish up, Floch.”
“Gladly.” Floch grinned and picked up the pace, making Pieck cry out in what could only be pain. He didn’t even seem to care.
“Just wait ‘till I’m out of here! I’m gonna skin you both alive!” Jean shouted.
He hated having to watch all of this happening without being able to stop it. He hated that Pieck was the one who was suffering from this. They could’ve done whatever they wanted to him, he wouldn’t have cared. But doing all of that to Pieck - who used to be their comrade - was beyond anything he ever experienced. He would make them pay for it.
Floch reached his climax not long after, coming with a satisfied grunt. Pieck looked disgusted more than anything and shut her eyes, turning her head away. After Floch placed a last wet kiss on her neck, he finally pulled away and readjusted his clothes as he stood up.
“So, what’s your plan?” He questioned Zeke.
The blond pulled out a gun from inside his jacket. He loaded it and pointed it at Pieck who was now sitting near the cell door, curled up to cover herself while panting. She looked up from underneath her hair, not very impressed or scared by the gun pointed at her.
“I like that,” Floch muttered to himself and smirked.
Jean’s eyes flicked between Zeke and the gun in his hand a few times. “You’re bluffing,” he stated. There was no way he would just-
A shot fell and Jean’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. He immediately looked over at Pieck. She looked alright...
A body slumped to the floor near him and Jean could see that it was Floch who had gotten shot, not Pieck. It was only a small relief- he didn’t want Floch to just die, he wanted to make him suffer. But it was still better than having that bullet hit Pieck.
“I’m bluffing? I shot Floch who followed orders like the dog he was. You don’t think I’d shoot Pieck who fell into my back?” Zeke reloaded the gun and pointed it at Pieck again. “I’m giving you one more chance to tell me what I want. I will shoot Pieck and inherit your titan myself, that way I will get the information I want anyway.”
Jean swallowed thickly and looked over at Pieck. He realized that Zeke was not joking around, especially after he just shot Floch. This really was his last chance to decide what he wanted to do.
“Three,” Zeke began counting.
Jean felt his body trembling. What should he do? Pieck’s life was on the line, it all depended on what he decided now.
“Two.”
He stared at Pieck, clearly not knowing what to do. It would be obvious for him to do everything to save a life. But if he did that, his friends’ and family’s life would be at danger. It would end bad no matter what he did. Should he sacrifice one life for the greater good?
Seeing his distress, Pieck’s lips curled up. It was a smile that came from deep inside her heart, that was filled with understanding and comfort. It was the most beautiful smile Jean had ever seen. So beautiful, it made tears well in his eyes.
“One.”
A world without Pieck’s smile wouldn’t be a world worth living in. He would never be able to forgive himself for sacrificing Pieck’s life. What would happen in the future wasn’t certain, they could fight Zeke before he made the first step if they got out soon.
What was certain was that Pieck’s life was in danger right there and then and it was his responsibility to ensure her safety. That and nothing else was his duty. He needed to get her out of this situation.
“Alright.” Jean gave in and blinked away his tears. “I’ll talk…”
“No, Jean! Your people-“
“Are idiots. I can’t bear to see you get hurt any more than that...”
“Jean…” Pieck murmured.
“What a wise decision.” Zeke unloaded the gun and lowered it as he faced Jean again. “Now talk.”
He exhaled softly and nodded. “Our base... is about 30 miles northeast from Blonsa. It’s a rather small castle with much free space all around. It’s the only building in a three mile radius, you wouldn’t miss it...”
“Oh, that far away actually? That’s smart.” Zeke nodded. “Go on, go on.”
Jean stole a glance over at Pieck. Her expression filled with disappointment and sadness, her gaze lowering. It made Jean sad in return but he was ready to take that disappointment if it meant to spare Pieck’s life.
If he would’ve sacrificed her, that would make him nothing better than Zeke.
He couldn’t help but let his eyes move to Floch’s unmoving body. A puddle of dark crimson red formed underneath him. The thought of Pieck encountering the same fate made him sick.
“We are around 30 people, myself included…” He added, the volume of his voice dropping a little.
“And that’s the truth?” Zeke used the gun to lift Jean’s face.
The brunet blinked up at him, his eyes flicking between Zeke’s, and calmly nodded. “It is.”
“What would your people do in a situation like that? How would you attack and save a hostage? Tell me about your strategies.”
Jean thought for a moment before he spoke. “My guess would be an attack from the back, something inconspicuous. During dusk or dawn would be optimal… in and out quickly, no one notices.”
Zeke hummed and reached up to give Jean a pat on the head. “That was easy, wasn’t it? We could’ve spared ourselves so much time.”
Jean looked down in silence.
The blond stood up and brushed off his clothes. “Well,” Zeke said as he looked down at the gun in his hand, “back to business.”
“What do you-“
Jean gasped when he heard another shot and looked over at Pieck with wide eyes. His heart began beating faster when he saw how she slumped down to the ground. The sight of her blood broke his heart and he snarled.
“What was that for?! I told you what you wanted to know!”
“I can’t just trust my enemy’s words that easily. You should learn to do the same. I need to check this first, then I’ll know whether to believe your words or not.” Zeke stated very simply. “Learning never stops.”
Jean’s eyes were blown wide as he stared at Pieck for any sign of her being alive- any sound, any move, just anything. That far, he saw nothing which made his anxiety skyrocket.
“Bastard!” Jean shouted, clenching his fists tightly as he finally stood up as well. “How dare you! Come here so I can rip your head off!” He growled and yanked hard on his chains several times.
“I have important things to do now,” Zeke dismissed himself as he walked over to the cell door and unlocked it. He stepped out and locked it behind him again, shooting Jean inside a smirk.
“Hey! Come back!” He shouted.
The blond ignored Jean’s shouting and left without another word. Jean was seething but he soon pushed his anger away to focus on something more important.
“Pieck! Pieck, please tell me you’re still here. You can’t die now!” He exclaimed loudly.
And finally, Pieck’s arm moved. Just a little but enough for him to see. Jean let out the biggest breath.
“Oh, God,” he knelt down and scooted as close to her as possible- which wasn’t very close, considering she was at the other side of the cell. “Can you hear me?”
There came a weak groan. “Y-yeah…”
“Alright, are you able to move? I need you to come closer so we can lessen the bleeding and treat your wound. Where did he hit you?”
Pieck’s heavy breathing was the only audible thing for a few painfully long moments. She very slowly began pushing herself up, using the bars of the cell door for help. Once she sat, she moved her hair out of the way and looked down at herself.
The sight was anything but pleasant; Pieck’s face was still swollen from when Floch beat her after she ran out, she looked so exhausted and tired, and now she was also bleeding so much from a bullet. That day couldn’t get any worse.
“Thigh...” She observed, “could be worse…”
“Okay… Fuck. Okay, I need you to come over. Do you think you can do that? You’re gonna bleed out if you stay there.”
She gave a faint nod in understanding and exhaled. Pieck began inching closer, moving bit for bit towards Jean. Her body was trembling so bad and Jean never wanted to hold her more. He hated seeing her in such a condition- so thoroughly wrecked.
“You’re doing great, don’t forget to breathe.” He reminded her as he moved closer to Floch’s body. If he already was left in there, he at least wanted to make use of him.
Jean took off the jacket and shirt Floch was wearing, all while keeping a close eye on Pieck. She was doing so well. Once he got what he needed from the corpse, he put his attention back on Pieck and stretched out his arms as far as he was able to.
It took some painfully long minutes and Pieck had to take a few smaller breaks during her way whenever she felt too dizzy or felt particularly close to passing out. After a while, she managed to reach Jean and he immediately pulled her closer to himself, so relieved to finally be able to hold her again.
He could only hold her for a moment, however, because he needed to act quickly. He made her lay down and took a closer look at her thigh and the bullet wound.
“The bullet didn’t go through. You will need surgery once we’re out to remove the bullet.” He used the jacket he got from Floch to tie it around her thigh, pulling it tight and lifting her leg a little.
Then he took the shirt and helped Pieck to pull it on. “I know you don’t want to wear his clothes but that’s better than nothing,” he explained while guiding her arms through the sleeves and buttoning it up.
“It’s fine…” She murmured, looking up at Jean. “I.. managed to get a... l-look outside. It’s… it’s starting to get dark… Also… saw Porco...”
“That’s good, so he probably knows not to do anything for now. And my comrades should be here any moment... You need to stay awake, you hear? Just look at me.” He held her hands close to himself, squeezing her while his other hand came up to brush her hair out of her face.
Pieck’s eyes were half lidded and tired, more than usually. Jean began worrying about her for real; being shot and not getting proper medical care was a serious matter. He hoped Hanji and the others wouldn’t be too late.
“You’re.. quite a sight… I wouldn’t want to look anywhere else anyway...” Pieck smiled weakly and reached up to hold onto Jean’s wrist, keeping his hand pressed onto her cheek.
“You’ll be alright, we’ll take care of everything.” He promised and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. “I’ll never let anyone lay a hand on you again. I’m sorry for letting it come this far… You didn’t deserve all this…”
Shaking her head, Pieck nuzzled his palm. “You did... what you had to do. I-I am a little disappointed... that you told him about your people...”
A smile came to Jean’s lips. “None of it was true. You know, I’m some kind of actor myself.” He chuckled.
Pieck let out a small chuckle as well and raised her hand to touch Jean’s cheek. He moved down to make it easier for her. “That’s a relief...” She murmured softly.
The brunet leaned closer and let their foreheads touch. He closed his eyes for a few moments.
“Jean, can you.. kiss me..?” Pieck whispered, “if I die now... I don’t want Floch... to be the last person who-who kissed me..”
“No.” Jean was quick to deny, “because you won’t die. We’ll make it out and you will be taken care of. And then I will kiss you as many times as you want. I won’t let you die here.” He promised.
Pieck just smiled. “D-dummy… You’re too much.” She moved a little, dragging her upper body up so she was able to lean against Jean’s chest instead of laying on the hard floor. He helped her by holding her close and making sure Pieck wasn’t straining herself too much. She rested her head against Jean’s chest, pressing her ear against him to listen to his heartbeat.
“Your heart… is beating really fast,” she observed quietly, “am I… important to you?”
“Of course you are.” He stroked her head, cradling his fingers through her thick hair. “You made being imprisoned very pleasant. I’ve never enjoyed being a prisoner more, and there were a couple of times I got captured already.”
Pieck hummed and patted his chest. “That’s good to know…”
Jean placed a kiss on the top of her head and looked over at the cell door, wondering when the others would finally be there. “It shouldn’t take very long… Tell me something about you. A random story, what you like, just anything.” He needed to keep Pieck awake and the easiest was probably to let her talk about something.
“I like… t-tall guys with goatees... and two co-colored hair. Especially… Especially if their hearts beat f-fast just for me…” She tilted her head up to look at him. “A-and kittens.”
“What a coincidence. I like short women with black hair and mesmerizing grey eyes, especially if they make my heart beat fast.” Jean smiled and took ahold of her hand, rubbing small circles over it. “How about we adopt a kitten? We could-“
There was a strange sound and Jean quickly looked up, tightening his grip on Pieck by instinct. A person was doing something at the cell door that Jean couldn’t make out. He narrowed his eyes.
“Hey, what are you-“
“Shh!” They hushed quickly.
And soon, the door opened and that person stepped inside. Jean could see that they were holding something big in their hand and frowned. The darkness wasn’t helping him in any way. He couldn’t see what it was.
“The hell do you want?” He questioned lowly.
“Jean, we’re trying to rescue you here! Can you shut up now?!” A sharp hiss.
Jean’s eyes lit up. “Sasha!” He gasped.
“Shh!” The brunette hissed again and stepped closer to the two on the floor. She crouched down and glanced at Pieck shortly, then at Floch, then took one of Jean’s hands to get a look at the chains. “Who’s that?” She asked quietly.
Jean looked down at the short girl in his arms. “A.. friend. I will explain later.” He said, not wanting to waste precious time.
Sasha nodded and lifted the bolt cutter she brought with her to cut off the chains of Jean’s cuffs. She did it on each hand, lowering the chains to the floor slowly so they wouldn’t cause too much noise. After both chains were off, Sasha threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re alright…”
Jean returned the short hug, loving the feeling of being reunited with his friend. When they pulled apart, he lifted Pieck into his arms and stood up. She groaned a little in pain but was fine once Jean stood. “What’s the plan?” He looked at Sasha.
She opened her mouth but a loud explosion cut her off before she was able to say anything. A second explosion followed and Sasha waved Jean along. “Hanji and the others will lure everyone outside while we take a different exit. We’re gonna meet up with them and then leave all together.” She explained while exiting the cell and turning a few corners.
Jean was sure to follow close behind her while looking around everywhere to make sure nobody saw them.
“Connie is cleaning a path for us.” She commented, though still was careful at every corner and checked everything before continuing to walk.
Jean looked down at Pieck to check on her. “Everything alright?”
The ravenette remained silent and closed her eyes. She was getting dizzier by the minute, her skin cold to the touch. The jacket that was tied around her leg was already soaked with her blood. She felt weak and tired and began breathing shallow.
“We almost did it, you need to look at me.” He urged, “Don’t close your eyes.”
Pieck blinked her eyes open and tried to keep them open but it was obvious she was having a hard time.
Jean cursed under his breath and began walking faster. He was determined to save Pieck, there was no other choice for him.
While the explosions and cries outside could be heard, Sasha led them on the fastest way out. It seemed she was very familiar with that place but it was rather because of her excellent hearing that they avoided bumping into anyone.
They soon caught up with Connie who helped them climb out of a window. It was the first time in weeks that Jean saw the sky again and although that was a great feeling, he couldn’t enjoy it. Not with Pieck being on the brink of death.
“Our horses are this way.” Connie said as he pointed over at a few trees in the distance, close to the forest. “Are you sure you can run like that?”
Jean blinked, then followed Connie’s gaze down at Pieck. He furrowed his brows and nodded. “I can, let’s go.” He muttered and began running with the two.
Pieck weakly squeezed Jean every here and there to let him know she was still fighting to stay awake. But she was losing too much blood, her body lost all of its strength and her eyes remained closed.
“Hey! Stay with me!” He exclaimed, seeing how her hand eventually dropped onto her stomach.
He ran faster, his eyes focused on her face.
“Pieck! Pieck!!”
~
The attack was won with little to no casualties. Some soldiers got injured but luckily it was nothing serious. The Survey Corps managed to fight back and retreat when the time was right. Thanks to Levi and Mikasa, they were even able to capture Zeke.
Now Zeke was in a dungeon deep underneath the ground where he couldn’t transform even if he wanted to. A similar position Jean was in. He was constantly being guarded but experienced none of the things that happened to Jean. That wasn’t the Survey Corps’ way of handling things.
Although Levi and Hanji were rough when it came to torture, it never got as far as raping or throwing acid on someone.
Jean was finally free again and enjoyed not being chained to a wall in a small, cold cell the whole day. The sun on his skin was very refreshing and something he wouldn’t take for granted anymore.
The brunet looked up at the sky. Two birds flew high up, spreading their wings as the sun shone above them. It was just an hour before sunset, two at most. A very calm day.
Jean stopped to pick some flowers on his way, a few colorful ones that looked good together. Then he continued his way towards the building he was heading to. It was a big white building with many windows and a small garden. His gaze stayed on one window in particular.
Sighing softly, he walked inside and greeted a few people he got friendly with after his many visits. He climbed the stairs to the third floor, walked along the hallway until he stopped at the seventh door on the right side and knocked twice. It has been the same routine for almost a week now and felt so natural.
“Come in,” a soft voice called from the inside.
Jean did as told and walked inside, closing the door behind himself. He approached the bed with a soft smile. “How is she?” He asked timidly.
“Doing much better already,” the nurse looked at her watch. After a minute, she smiled, “her pulse is starting to go back to a normal pace. She’s been breathing without help since yesterday evening, that’s a great improvement.”
The brunet nodded and took a seat beside the bed. He grabbed Pieck’s hand and brought it up to his lips. “I’m glad to hear that.” He murmured, placing a kiss on her knuckle.
“It shouldn’t take much longer anymore.” The nurse placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, “she’ll get through. Call me if you need something.” She spoke before exiting the room, leaving the two to have some privacy.
He nodded and looked back at Pieck’s resting face. Most of the bruises on her face healed already, only smaller things were left which would fade with time. She looked so peaceful but Jean would much rather be able to look into her eyes again. Her big silver eyes, sparkling and gleaming every time she spoke to him in particular. Or just hear her beautiful voice. He’d give anything to hear her call him ‘dummy’ one more time again. It’s been so long…
Jean waited for the door to close before he scooted closer to the bed. He reached up and brushed a few strands of hair out of Pieck’s face. Even though she was getting better, her face still looked so exhausted.
“I brought you new flowers.” He held up said flowers, as if showing them to Pieck. “The old ones already withered.” He turned to look at the nightstand beside him and reached out to swap out the old flowers with the new ones he brought.
Afterwards, he turned back to her and held her small hand with the both of his own, rubbing over her knuckles tenderly. Like always, Pieck showed no reaction. All she did the last five days was laying there and not making a sound.
“I wish you would wake up already... There’s so much I want to show you here. And I want to introduce you to my friends properly… Sasha is so excited to meet you.”
He leaned down and rested his head on top of their hands, his eyes stayed fixated on Pieck the whole time in hopes she would open them any moment.
She didn’t, however, and Jean ended up spending the whole day in her room to keep her company. He would tell her some random stories of his cadet years while running his fingers through her hair or just watch her face quietly.
Looking at her made him both happy and sad. It was such a bittersweet feeling. Happy because she was alive and was out of that awful place. Sad because Pieck wasn’t waking up from her coma. If he only did more back then, if only Pieck didn’t lose that much blood… Maybe they would be doing other things now.
He couldn’t change what happened anymore, so he just hoped Pieck wouldn’t have to pay with her life. She was so strong, all she needed to do was open her eyes.
Yet that simple task seemed so impossible.
~
(You could see this as the end. Though there’s another small part thats some fluff and fun and a happier ending but unfortunately didn’t fit here because this post reached its maximum length,,, its definitely on ao3 if anyones interested!
Been trying to learn how to actually paint facial colors, I take red yellow and blue and mix it with their skin color and color the different plains on their face those colors, then blend…I mean I THINK that’s what I do pffff maybe I’m just winging it.
