Rose Petals

Ch.3- Unknowing Confession

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"I don't plan on telling him, so it doesn't really matter."

Jean almost sounded defeated himself, packing up his lunch as he lost his appetite. 

"I'd rather be a friend than ruin the friendship we already have."

Marco snorted, finishing up his own lunch as he shook his head. 

"You're in idiot."

Marco sighed once more, resting his head against the metal bars.

"If you can't realize what's right in front of you, you're going to feel stagnant forever."

Jean wasn't sure if Marco was trying to support him or if he was just annoyed. 

"Why-...do you care so much?"

Jean couldn't grasp the idea. Why did it seem like Marco was overly worked up about the situation? Since when was the guy in front of him so determined?

"That should be obvious."

That stung Jean more than he'd like to admit as he turned his head to the side to look at Marco, a pained expression on his face.

"...Don't you think you'd rather see the person you love happy? Even if it's not with you?"

Wait.

Wait. Wait. Wait.

Was Marco confessing? To him? To Jean? The one who was just called out for being in love with someone else?

And yet- Marco, even after putting himself through this...still wanted Jean happy? Wanted the best for him?

"Wait-.. Marco do you.."

The freckled boy laughed and let his eyes drift shut.

"I never hid it."

For once, Jean was completely speechless. How could he have known? Was he really that absorbed with himself that he couldn't see how the other felt? And if that wasn't already bad, here Marco was trying to cheer Jean up about his own love life when it didn't include Marco.

God, he was selfish. 

"Marco.. I'm sorry I-"

Marco raised his hand to stop Jean; an apology would hurt too much, and Marco wasn't here to ask for an apology.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. I knew that the feeling wasn't mutual. I told myself that even if my feelings weren't reciprocated, I still wanted to be there and support you as a friend. That-.. That's good enough for me."

Whether it was or not, it left a shameful feeling in Jean's mouth, and for once he wished he would have kept his mouth shut.

"I don't deserve to have you as a friend."

A dry laugh fell from Marco's lips and he opened his eyes to look at him.

"No. You don't, but that doesn't matter."

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Laying down for the rest of lunch didn't help in the slightest, and when Eren heard the bell ring, he just groaned and pulled the thin sheet over his head.

He didn't want to be here when he felt this-...weird.

Honestly, he didn't know how he felt. He never expected the reason Jean had been avoiding him this whole time was because he...he loved him.

Eren let out an irritated groan and curled up further into the sheet. 

Why...was it that he was almost...happy about it?

Why his chest felt warm and his cheeks flushed the moment he thought about it?

"Are you going to stay under that blanket forever?"

Eren peeked his head out from under the sheet, eyes meeting Armin who looked rather 'over the whole situation already.'

"Why are you here anyway?"

Eren wasn't sure how to respond as he sat up and ran a hand through his hair. 

"Did something bad happen with Jean? I told you to just-"

"No! Ah- I mean.."

Eren felt flushed, almost embarrassed as he scrambled his brain to say something.

"Did he finally confess to you?"

Erens's mouth almost fell open, eyes wide in surprise as Armin sat down at the edge of the bed.

"No-Not necessarily... I um.. overheard him talking with Marco.. wait, how do you even-"

"Know?" Armin laughed and leaned back on the bed with his arms behind him. 

"Because I'm not blind or an idiot. Jean thinks he hides it well, but he honestly wears his emotions on his sleeve. I think you're the only one who didn't notice."

Eren was dumbfounded for two reasons. One, because Jean did in fact love him and he was the only one who didn't know about it, and two because the more he was reminded about it, the happier he got. 

"Now it's your turn to catch up."

Huh? 

"What? What do you mean to catch up?"

Armin shrugged, pushing himself up from the bed and grabbing the blanket as he ripped it off from the other.

"You can figure that one out for yourself. Now, let's go back to class, god knows you'll fail without the lecture."

Eren gasped, offended that Armin blatantly called him out on his poor studies, but it wasn't as if he was wrong.

"...You have such little faith in me."

Armin only laughed, offering his friend a cheesy smile. 

"Don't worry, I know you're not that much of an idiot."