ladyhoneydarlinglove | snk fic: gripe

Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin
Characters: Eren Jaeger, Jean Kirschstein
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~700
Summary: Jean thinks about how much he hates Eren. Which is a lot. Takes place during ch. 53, but spoiler free.

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They have a night to rest before going to the rendezvous point in Trost tomorrow, though the cold night wind and the inability to make a fire for fear of being seen hardly qualifies it as a decent repose. Jean volunteered for the first watch, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but now he’s alone, and freezing, and regretting, as he usually does, ever joining the Scouting Legion, and cursing Eren’s stupid, hope-inducing existence.

“Go away,” Jean mutters when the object of his many colorful expletives somehow manages to sneak up next to him. “I hate you.”

Eren ignores him, instead opting to plop down next to Jean and snuggle up to his side. “It’s cold out,” Eren says as he rests his head on Jean’s shoulder, unaware that Jean is trying his best to telepathically make it burst into flames. “I thought you could use some extra heat.”

“Yeah, because your scrawny ass is going to make me so much warmer,” Jean deadpans, refusing to be tempted. “If you really want to help warm me up, find a way to make a fire without smoke.”

“I could try turning into a Titan,” Eren suggests.

“I said warm me up, not scorch my flesh off,” Jean snaps. “Besides, your transformation always smokes. That’s why we had to move in the first place, remember?”

“Well, you can’t say I didn’t try,” Eren shrugs. “So are you going to keep complaining or are you going to let me do what I can?”

“Complaining. Definitely complaining,” Jean answers. “Especially if it’s about you.”

“That does seem to be your favorite hobby,” Eren quips, snapping his legs up as Jean attempts to kick one of them. “Do you want to complain about how much you hate me for being the last hope for humanity and inspiring you to join the Scouting Legion? That seems to be your favorite thing to gripe about.”

“Oh, shut up,” Jean hisses, shoving Eren away. “You are the most annoying person in all of humanity, I swear to Rose.”

“And yet you’re still here,” Eren points out, moving to lean in again. Jean tries to push him away but Eren grabs his wrist and pins it behind Jean’s back like the asshole he is. “Why?”

“Because I’m mentally ill, obviously.”

“I meant besides that.”

“Ha.” Jean glares at Eren, who just grins in response, and Jean hates him so much. “Well, I can’t really back out at this point in the game, can I? So since I’m stuck here I might as well go along with whatever crazy shit our Commander has planned for us.”

Eren hums, nestling up against Jean’s side again without letting go of his pinned arm. Jean wants to scoot away, but Eren is warm and Jean’s treacherous body refuses to let him move from the precious heat. So instead he glares at the trees in front of him and tries to pretend he doesn’t want to rest his head against Eren’s, or hold his hand, or kiss him, even though the others are only a few meters away.

“Too bad for you,” Eren says. His fingers trail over Jean’s palm and Jean can’t quite suppress his shiver. “Looks like you’re stuck following me forever.”

“Apparently.” Jean sighs, and tugs on Eren’s grip. Eren lets go of his arm, and Jean clasps their hands together. “So are you actually going to help warm me up or are you just going to sit there?”

“I thought you didn’t want me to help you,” Eren says, swinging a leg over Jean’s hips and settling down. His smirk is insufferable; if Jean didn’t actually need some external source of heat, he’d punch him.

“Yeah, well. It’s pretty cold,” he mutters, trying to hide his face in Eren’s blissfully warm neck, but Eren moves his head and Jean ends up kissing him instead. Which is kind of like a punch, if Jean doesn’t think too much about it, so he’s definitely coming out on top here. “I still hate you,” he mumbles against Eren’s lips. “I just want you to know that.”

“I know,” Eren grins. “You tell me every day.”