hopeless | jean kirstein

12 | moving forward

Taryn furrowed her brows as she glanced at him. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? You're the one who almost got killed."

"Don't try to deflect the question."

She sighed at his prodding, knowing that it was no use trying to avoid the subject. Admittedly, she was a bit touched by his concern, but as much as the thought succeeded in making her heart skip a beat, she didn't want to make him worry that much. "I'm fine," She began to kick around the dirt she had stepped on, trying her best to act nonchalant. "It just hurts a bit."

"Where?" He asked. His hands hovered around her torso, searching for the source of the discomfort. "Here?"

"Yes, but—ow!" She let out a yelp of pain as she felt his fingers poke at her ribs, exactly the spot where she could feel it hurting. "Jean!"

"Sorry." He sheepishly backed away from her, but not before she caught sight of a wicked grin playing on his lips. Bastard, she thought as she began to rub at the spot he poked. He did it on purpose.

She took a step back from him, the exposure to the hot summer sun causing her body to be doused in sweat, her clothes sticking to her flesh like a second layer of skin. Letting out a loud exhale, she grabbed a fistful of her hair and tied it into a messy ponytail, finding the action to be effective in reducing the heat that she felt.

The boy stared at her, the sight of the familiar ribbon she loved to use making him complain out loud. "You had that ribbon since we were...eleven," He furrowed his brows. "I'm surprised you haven't lost it yet. Aren't you gonna buy a new one?"

Taryn only shrugged in response, taking the spot next to him as she talked. "I like the color," She lifted a hand to touch the material. What had once been a vibrant blue now faded into a light periwinkle, and as much as she tried to find one, she never saw a ribbon the exact same shade as hers so she decided to just keep the one she already had. "It's pretty."

"Yeah, pretty old." He chuckled meanly, angling his body to face her as the both of them leaned against the tree. Strands of her hair began to fall from her poorly done hairstyle, and the way it covered almost half of her face bothered him quite oddly. He reached out a hand as he leaned forward, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile as he tucked the stray hairs behind her ear. Much better.

Whether it was because of their close proximity, or the way his touch turned her into a wide-eyed mess, Taryn found herself being frozen in her place, and she was pretty sure her face had gone beet red by now. Her heart was racing wildly, and for the first time since today, it wasn't because of fear.

Jean had his lips pulled back into a subtle smirk as he watched a hint of blush creep up the girl's cheeks. A strange satisfaction tugged at his chest when he saw her eyes almost bulge out of its sockets as he inched his face closer to hers, right before moving to whisper something into her ear. "Taryn, I know I look heavenly and all, but will you please stop gawking at me?"

The tension broke with his words, and Taryn immediately shoved the boy off of her, scoffing once she saw him break into a boisterous laugh. The sound echoed throughout the area, catching the attention of Reiner and Armin who were currently sat on the ground, their faces riddled with confusion as they stared at a laughing Jean and a flustered Taryn.

"Oi, you two. Stop messing around, we shouldn't be wasting time," Reiner told them, his voice stern and his face set into a hard expression. "We must decide. It's a hard choice, but someone will have to stay behind."