hopeless | jean kirstein

28 | sunset

Jean let out a sigh. "You shit."

She rolled her eyes. "Boys."

Armin shut his eyes in disappointment. "Marlo, are you stupid?"

Sasha glared threateningly at him. "He's a bowl cut imbecile."

"Wait, why? What did he say?"

Jean ignored Eren, turning back his attention to Marlo. "Anyway, the only ones as worked up as you are the recruits with zero battle experience—"

"Whoa, whoa, think you're some veteran hero now?" A voice rang through from behind them, cutting him off mid-sentence. At the sound of the disturbance, they all turned their heads to see what was going on and was greeted by the sight of a male soldier with reddish hair, styled in a rather ridiculous hairstyle, with taunting eyes and a smirk that all but told them that he was someone who was too cocky for their own good. And judging by the way the soldier looked at them with such malice, the group instantly knew that they wouldn't be making friends with each other so soon.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Jean clench his jaw. He then went back to staring at the food in front of them, though aggravated. "Compared to you, at least, I am."

The redhead wasn't finished, it seemed, as he took a step forward and continued on mocking him. "How rude. Weren't we in the 104th together?" He snickered, before raising a brow. "Besides, we're not the only ones. Everyone in the Walls is pumped up about the idea of retaking Maria."

The atmosphere had started to become a little tense. The lively chatter around them quickly died down as a hushed silence took over the crowd, no doubt anticipating for a potential fight to break out.

But Jean merely raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that so?" He sighed, taking another gulp from his cup.

Taryn blinked her eyes at him. She was so used to his loud personality and reckless behavior that it took her by surprise to see him respond so calmly. Instead of taking the bait and biting back like he usually did, he was now only tolerating this guy's shenanigans, just to avoid making matters even worse. The fact actually made her smile like a proud mom.

Even the redhead was surprised. He furrowed his brows and opened his mouth, most likely to yell again, but stopped short once he spared a glance at the group. They all wore stoic expressions, faces tired and barely putting up with the things happening around them. Their eerie nature caused his hostile behavior to falter a bit, a feeling of nervousness rising in him all of sudden.

"Well, you all do seem different now," He stuttered, taking a step back. "It's your faces, I guess..." The redhead forced out laugh, scratching his head. "What exactly happened?"

Jean tilted his head. A small gesture, but it made him look all the more intimidating. "Wanna know?"

Donning a shaky smile, he took a step back, finally ending the argument. "No...I think I'll ask later." He tried to say, the anxiousness in his voice clear.

With the redhead and his cronies gone, the table returned to it's jolly atmosphere. Connie and Sasha continued to tease Marlo about Hitch, Armin and Mikasa discussing something with Eren, who had been muttering stuff to his self like a madman. As she witnessed the sight, she couldn't help but feel a smile grace her lips. Amidst all the hardships thrown their way, her friends still had it in them to smile and have fun, at least.

Time passed and the food before them was eventually devoured. A soldier up front waved a hand to catch their attention, before announcing something important.

Wiping the excess chocolate on his face, Jean stood up from his spot, looking over the group with a serious face . "Well, we should get moving," He told them. "Hange's called for a gathering."