Thirteen-Way Dilemma (anime males x fem! reader)

CHAPTER 16: A MORNING OF FORGIVENESS, AN AFTERNOON WITH JEAN

On Monday morning, Homeroom flies by in the blink of an eye. Afterward, I head to self-defense with Neji, who is acting like his normal self, even after our shared kiss. I'm thankful for this, since I feel closer to him than most of my classmates. However, when we arrive, we're surprised that neither Giyuu or Sanemi are anywhere to be found.

"Hey, Y/N, sweetheart!" Tengen greets, rushing up to me as soon as he notices my presence, "Where is Sanemi? You were with him on Friday... Do you know?"

I shake my head, frowning as Tengen gets a concerned look on his face. Sanemi and Tengen are best friends, after all.

"Look!" Neji exclaims, pointing toward the entrance of the gym, "There they are!"
My eyes widen as Sanemi and Giyuu walk into the class, side-by-side, both with expressions of contentment on their faces.

Sanemi really apologized! I knew he could do it!
I feel my heart flutter as the spunky white-haired boy grins at me happily. I've never been fonder of him than at this moment. Underneath all of that negativity, there is a really good person——that much is clear to me now.

I flinch as Giyuu begins to sprint toward me unexpectedly. He pulls me into an embrace, holding me close to him as his arms squeeze tightly yet gently.

"Thank you," he whispers quietly enough so only I can hear him, "You don't understand how much this means to me."

Sanemi must have told Giyuu that I spoke to him about everything.

Teardrops begin to form in my eyes as I bury my face into my friend's shoulder. I'm just happy I was able to help him. That's all I wanted since the very beginning.

"Please don't thank me," I respond, restraining my tears.

Sanemi rests a hand on my shoulder, and I let go of Giyuu to hug him instead, much to his surprise.

"I knew it..." I murmur, "I knew deep down there was a good person. Thank you, Sanemi."
As I kiss him lovingly on the cheek, he blushes a tint of pink.

I'm so grateful to have met all of these wonderful people. They've changed my life in what seems like a matter of seconds.

———

After school comes to a close, Jean approaches me, ready to take me home. I must admit, I was previously dreading spending the night with him, but after seeing how Sanemi was able to turn over a new leaf, I've decided to give Jean the benefit of the doubt as well. I'm sure he's been through his fair share of hardships. And, to be completely honest, Eren can be a hard person to get along with, so I can't blame Jean for avoiding him. Hopefully they will reconcile someday, similarly to Sanemi and Giyuu.

"Hey, beautiful," Jean says smugly as he playfully squeezes my shoulder, "Ready to go?"
I grow bashful as he refers to me as "beautiful". At this point, I'm sort of expecting every last one of my male classmates to have a thing for me, except for Obanai, of course. He is solely devoted to Mitsuri, which I completely admire and support.

"Yes," I reply to Jean, who leads me out of the school building and down a wooded path I assume leads to his home.

"Levi told me he taught you to use ODM gear yesterday," Jean points out, trying to make small talk with me.

I nod in response.

"Yeah, it was difficult," I admit, "But I feel a bit stronger now, if that makes sense."
Abruptly, Jean stops moving. He glances around nervously.

"What is it?" I ask, immediately fearing the worst.

"I'm pretty sure I left my house key in my locker," he sighs, "I'll run in and get it. You stay here. I'll be back in a minute!"
I reach out to him, opening my mouth to call after him, but he's so fast that he's already long gone by the time I get the chance.

The last thing I want is to be left out here all alone.

Nervously, I observe my surroundings. The coast seems to be clear, as of right now. Jeez... I really hope a titan doesn't sneak up on me!
Something rustles in a bush behind me, causing me to jump out of shock and fear. Before it has the chance to emerge, I find myself running in the opposite direction, pumping my arms and legs as fast as I can, desperate to outrun it.

What if it's a demon? No, demons only come out at night. Well, then, what if it's some other scary creature?! Someone, help me! Please!
But as I turn around to glance over my shoulder, I notice that it's only a cute little rabbit chasing after me. I come to a halt, my eyes widening as I stare at its adorable face. It tilts its head to the side, as if it's confused as to why I'm scared.

I can't help but chuckle aloud, hitting myself in the head for how stupid I am. But, my fit of laugher quickly trails off as I realize I have no idea where I've run off to. I spin around and around, looking for something—anything that seems familiar to me. But it's no use. I'm completely lost.

"Damn it..." I mutter under my breath, "Now what do I do?!"

Beginning to panic, I desperately call Jean's name, wandering aimlessly throughout the thick wood.

I now understand why he told me to stay put in the first place. Ugh, stupid Y/N! Why do you always have to get yourself into trouble?!

"JEAN!" I yell at the top of my lungs, "JEAN, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

I yelp as I accidentally trip over a tree root sticking up out of the forest floor, but just as I am about to inevitably fall backwards, a pair of arms catches me swiftly.

I glance up to see that Jean is holding me upright, his eyes filled with concern.

"I found you," he pants with a relieved smile.

I've never been more thankful to see his handsome face in my entire life.

He helps me to balance myself and then caresses both of my cheeks with his hands, staring into my eyes.

I feel my body begin to heat up as he looks fiercely at me.

"I told you to stay where you were, Y/N!" He states firmly, "Don't scare me like that!"

"I'm sorry!" I exclaim, becoming teary-eyed, "I-I didn't mean to, I just——"

I lose my breath as he pulls me into his arms, his grasp tight and caring.

I can feel his heartbeat going a mile a minute against my chest——he really had been worried sick about me. I smile as my heart becomes tender at this beautiful thought.

He releases me, gripping both of my arms as he observes every inch of me, checking for any possible injuries.

"You're okay, right?" He double-checks, "You weren't hurt?"
I nod a single time.

"I'm fine now," I promise, "Thank you for finding me."
He sighs of relief and then places a gentle hand beneath my chin, caressing it lovingly.

"Thank goodness..." he breathes, as he begins to close the gap between us.

Is this really about to happen? Am I going to kiss Jean, of all people?

My mind has its doubts, but my heart and body are both yearning for him all the same. And so, I lean in toward him until our lips are touching and he kisses me gently. He holds both sides of my face in his loving hands as he continues to place gentle kisses upon my lips, his touch comforting and warm. After the romantic moment passes, he pulls away and gazes adoringly into my eyes.

He's so gorgeous... and strong.

"Let's go home, Y/N," he whispers.