jean | fem!reader
requested
it was a quiet night in the survey corps mess hall. quite unusual for the branch to have an off day when another expedition was coming up in a few weeks time. however, the soldiers didn't complain, they appreciate one day of resting after one hellish week of training.
everyone was eating merrily despite the bland food, especially the 104th graduates. they were seated at a large table, teasing each other without any care in the disastrous world. they were mostly the cause of the noise inside the mess hall but the veterans and higher-ups really didn't pay any attention, letting them have fun for now before going back to strict training tomorrow.
a copper-haired male was unusually quiet, staring at his food with a plain look. he could only poke and play with it, brows furrowed in annoyance. the familiar sound of sweet laughter reached his ears once again and ever since the start of the dinner, he finally looked up from his food to stare at the duo in front of him.
though, his eyes only twitched in anger once he realized it was only the famous 'best friends' in the survey corps.
he couldn't help but feel different emotions surge inside his veins when you and the brown-haired bastard started whispering to each other, giggles and chuckles following after.
jean didn't realize he was staring at them for too long until reiner addressed him. "jean, you're way too obvious. it's sad." the blond snickered beside him, shaking his head with a smug smirk.
the copper-haired male scoffed, glared at his friend, and finally took a bite of his bland food, "what are you even saying? go back to your food."
he already knew the answer to his own question but he didn't want to think too much of it. if only he didn't join the truth or dare with the other guys last week, they probably wouldn't tease him every time he glances at you during meals or training.
but now, every soldier knew of his crush because connie can't keep a secret. if anything, you probably already knew about it but chose not to pay any attention.
even eren knew about it and he used his closeness with you to get jean worked up every time he was near because who wouldn't be amused at the sight of an angry jealous horse?
jean was so obvious and everyone lived for his jealousy.
eren glanced at the copper-haired male, an amused smile on his lips once they made eye contact. with a teasing smirk, he leaned close to you and placed an arm around your shoulder. you glanced at him with an arched eyebrow, confused but shrugging it off and continued eating.
the titan-shifter's actions, however, didn't go unnoticed by jean and in a matter of seconds, he was up on his seat with blazing eyes and glaring daggers at the brown-haired boy while the others simultaneously sighed and groaned.
"fuck you, eren! fight me!"
"oh boy, not again." reiner mumbled, hiding his face behind his palm due to slight embarrassment.
eren only looked up at jean with a gleam in his green hues, "what did i do now?" eren asked innocently, a pout on his lips that only fueled jean's anger more.
"you damn well know what you did!"
"not really, care to enlighten me?"
you could only watch, amused yet at the same time tired of the repeating brutal arguments of the two teenage boys. she was about to step up when jean suddenly lurched forward and took hold of eren's collar, making him lean forward only to land a strong punch on his jaw.
"now you're just asking for it!" eren growled and punched jean's cheek, a sickening crack following after. the others flinched at the numb pain they felt despite not being the victim and before they knew it, the expected fight finally broke out. the only thing keeping them from fully brawling was the table between them but that didn't stop them from throwing punches against one another.
the others were watching them now, some chanting for them to continue while some attempted to break them up.
"right in front of my salad!" sasha grumbled in distraught.
"oi."
as if magic, the two stopped their fighting at the sharp tone from none other than the captain. their eyes widened and reluctantly, they let go of each other to stare at levi who only frowned at their bloody and bruised-up appearance.
they both had bruises forming on their cheeks, a black eye and a busted lip with a broken nose that caused everyone looking to wince slightly.
"you join the military and you can't even create a proper brawl?" he asked nonchalantly, an eyebrow raised.
far across the room, erwin sighed and shook his head, mumbling to himself. "i said to stop them, not encourage them..."
levi continued, "because of you shitfaces disrupting a calm dinner, you both have stable duties for the whole month and extra training for this week."
the two could only look down in shame, mumbling an agreement without any hesitation to the higher-ranking soldier. he clicked his tongue and turned to leave but not before saying something to the others, "ackerman, l/n, take these two to the infirmary and clean their wounds."
you and mikasa nodded and stood up, leading the two out of the mess hall and to the small infirmary on the other side of the building.
jean was left behind, watching the brown-haired male with a glare as you and mikasa nagged at him and pampered him with care. he could only look down at the wooden floor, different emotions swirling through him. he was jealous, angry, sad, and in pain. if only he had the guts to befriend you since the start, maybe you'd be taking care of him just like how you were taking care of eren.
they stepped inside the infirmary and the two boys sat down far away from one another, sending glares and sneaky middle fingers. as you rummaged through the cabinet for disinfectant and rags, mikasa suddenly grabbed eren by the arm and dragged him towards the door.
"actually, y/n, you take care of jean. i'm going to take eren far away from here, i'm afraid another fight will break out." mikasa smiled, apologetically and teasing, before leaving the room with a complaining eren and closing the door behind her.
you couldn't care less of the two, continuing to look at the cabinets and drawers with a grunt.
it was quiet, the only sound that reached jean's ears was the opening of drawers and bottles and items being rummaged. in the silence, his mind wandered once he realized he was alone with the girl he liked since the beginning. heat suddenly spread along his cheeks and his calm heart started running wild that he could hear it himself because of the silence. he wasn't sure if it was just him but he suddenly felt hot and heavy inside the small room, as if tension was added.
he wondered; were you nervous about being in the same room with him too? could you hear his beating heart and how it only beats for you?
"okay, found it!" your little exclamation startled jean and when he turned to look at you, his stomach did a little flip when he saw the small smile decorating yourlips.
you moved across the room to seat beside him on the bed, a clean rag and a bottle of what looked like to be disinfectant in your hands. "alright, horseface, let's see your wounds."
you laughed shyly once she saw jean's face contort to confusion with a mix of hurt pride on his face. she smiled apologetically and patted his arms, sending a jolt of electricity in him, "i'm joking, don't go fighting me now."
jean badly wanted to say something but all he could do was roll his eyes and look away. he was afraid that if he opened his mouth for a second, he'd probably say something stupid that could ruin his chances with you.
"since when were you this quiet?" you asked, taking his hands on yours. he tensed up, unconsciously swallowing the lump on his throat, as his hands started sweating due to nervousness. he hissed in pain when you thumb ran across his knuckles, bleeding and bruising. you clicked your tongue and began cleaning his wound, apologizing every now and then when jean would flinch.
"you know," you started, moving to the other hand, "for someone prideful and angry a while ago, you're not ranting about your hatred for eren." you snickered to herself, patting his palm softly once you finished.
"i j-just don't want to w-waste my time on that idiot," jean replied quietly, eyes downcast.
you nodded in understanding and took hold of his jaw, forcing him to look at you straight in your eyes. his eyes widened a bit, already losing himself in the e/c color. you were, too, but you were more discreet and quick to look away. you cleared your throat and began to inspect the wounds on his face, shaking your head in disappointment.
"you're going to be ugly for a few weeks," you concluded with a snort.
jean chuckled and shrugged, "well, that's a bummer. people are going to miss my handsome face."
the two continued to talk as you cleaned his wounds and patched up his face, making jokes to one another while also telling something about themselves. jean didn't feel so nervous anymore and the pride he lost a while ago came back pretty quickly, and the tension he felt since the beginning dissipated once he got comfortable.
"well, we're done." you concluded, leaning back to inspect your work. "all we need now is an ointment to treat your bruises but squad leader hange will give it tomorrow, probably."
jean frowned, already missing the limited distance they had while you were treating the wounds on his face. he was about to say something when he winced, clutching the side of his cheeks.
"shit, it still hurts," he whined quietly.
you giggled and jean glanced, his own smile glued on his face. he heard your laughs from afar countless times whenever you were with the brown-haired titan-shifter but now, that giggle was directed to him now and not that idiotic eren. the butterflies in his stomach went to a frenzy and that alone summed up his feelings.
"well it's not like we can do anything about it anymore, jean," you grinned teasingly, "what do you want me to do?"
jean gulped and looked down on his lap, "well, my mom said that kissing it numbs the pain."
it was quiet between the two, both taking in his words. jean didn't dare to look up, a visible blush on his cheeks as he cursed at himself for coming off too strong. you, however, could only arch a brow with pursed lips.
jean was about to apologize when he heard the familiar giggle, "you're way too obvious, jean."