Hate's a Type Of Love (Jean X Reader)

5. Confession

2 Weeks Later

Jean POV

Aside from the initial shock it gave everyone, things went on as normal. Though the new normal included (Name) and I actually putting in an effort to not fight with each other and actually get along. And much to my surprise, it was easier than I thought it was going to be. As long as I didn't insult her or make rude comments, she didn't get all pissy. I noticed a lot of differences over the past two weeks, showing me just how much our constant fighting had actually affected her.

She smiled more, her voice was quieter and she actually talked to people other than her small group of friends. She laughed a lot more often and it was probably one of the prettiest sounds I'd ever heard. Her posture when standing and sitting was better now too, as if she felt better about herself. In all, (Name) had really calmed down and even come out of a shell I didn't realize she'd been in. If I thought back on it, she really only ever talked to Eren and his little gang and Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie. Now she talked with me and Marco, Sasha and Connie, Thomas and Mina, Ymir and Christa and some others that even I didn't know their names.

All these new things about her personality only strengthened the crush I had on her and frankly, it was starting to get pretty obvious that I liked her as more than a friend... At least to anyone who knew me, like Marco. He nudged my arm with his elbow during lunch one day and I pulled my gaze away from the back of (Name)'s head to look over at my best friend. "Jean, why don't you just tell her already?" "Tell who what?" I raised an eyebrow at him and turned back to eat my food that was now cold. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. You've been staring at the back of (Name)'s head for the past twenty minutes and have barely touched your food. You were distracted by her during combat training this morning too. It's pretty obvious." Marco explained and placed a hand on my shoulder, smiling at me. "What happens if I tell her? She hated my guts until two weeks ago. There's no way she would like me back." I frowned and pushed my tray over toward Sasha who eagerly took it and went right back to chatting with Connie beside her.

Marco sighed and patted my shoulder then took his hand back to himself. "I wouldn't be so sure about that. You told me yourself that she doesn't have that crush on me anymore. And that means she likes someone else. There's a good chance it could be you." "I don't know, Marco. We just started this whole getting along thing and I don't want to fuck that up by admitting my feelings to her." "I think you'll regret it if you don't go for it. Word is, Eren likes her too. And you know he's usually pretty straightforward about how he feels about things." Marco got up from the table to clear his tray and I sighed heavily, propping my chin up on my hand as I looked over at where (Name) sat beside Eren at the table across from me. He had a point. Eren wasn't one to keep his feelings hidden for a long time. And if I even wanted a chance to know how (Name) felt about me then I would have to man up and just tell her how I feel. Well, easier said than done...

For the rest of the afternoon I tried to come up with a plan to get her alone so I could talk to her about this but every time I tried, some interruption came in. Before I knew it, it was time for dinner and she ended up sitting with Eren again which bothered me to no end. I chatted with Marco for most of the meal, not noticing (Name) and Eren leave the mess hall until I got up to put away my tray and they were gone. I frowned and quickly put away my tray then left the mess hall to go find them. Was he confessing to her right now? Was I too late already?

I checked around the back of both dorm cabins and even the mess hall but didn't see them so I moved on toward the supply shed next, stopping in my tracks when I heard Eren's voice. "-eally like you, (Name)." There was an awkward silence after that. "Eren, I... I just want to be friends with you." There was a light thud against the back wall and Eren spoke up again. "Please just give me a chance." "I'm sorry, Eren." "Come on, please?" I heard shuffling feet and then another louder thud against the wall but I stayed put just behind the corner of the building, unsure of what to do. This didn't sound like it was going well but would (Name) be mad at me if she knew I'd eavesdropped on this exchange? Their conversation caught my attention again when (Name) sounded a bit off.

"Eren please stop..." I took a chance and peeked my head around the corner to see that Eren had her caged in and pinned against the wall. "Why, why won't you just give me a chance?" She looked up at him and opened her mouth to speak but an impatient Eren cut her off with a kiss. I felt my body heat up with anger over this. She'd asked him to stop, what the hell was that bastard doing? I was about to step around the corner fully but froze and hid back behind the wall when she raised a hand and slapped him harshly across the face. I heard Eren stumble back a step and (Name) raised her voice, sounding almost as if she was about to start crying but I started to walk away. Well, until I heard what it was (Name) said next. "Damn it, Eren, I said stop! I don't like you like that, I like Jean!"

I stood there staring at the back corner of the shed where the two stood just around it, frozen with shock at what I'd just heard. It was obvious I wasn't meant to hear it, but I'd been nosy and eavesdropped... I panicked a little when I heard rushed footsteps heading my way and (Name) rounded the corner at a run, staring at the ground with tears in her eyes. She didn't even see me until she, quite literally, ran into me. We both stumbled back a step and she whipped her head up, looking surprised and maybe a bit scared to see that it was me she just bumped into. But a second later she stepped forward and slipped her arms under mine and around my back to hug me tightly as she hid her face in my chest, tucking her head under my chin.

I wrapped my arms around her firmly and sighed, watching Eren round the corner and giving him a nasty glare for upsetting (Name) like this. He returned the look and stomped off. I turned my attention back to the girl hugging me and gently tried to pry her off so I could talk to her but she wouldn't budge. "(Name), are you okay?" She nodded and sucked up to me a bit more. "How much of that did you hear?" "Well, uh... The whole thing I guess." I told her honestly with an awkward chuckle, hoping she wouldn't be mad. She tensed up but didn't seem angry, pulling away from me to stand by herself and take a deep breath with her gaze locked on the ground between us. "I really like you, Jean." "Damn it, that's my line." I teased with a smile and she looked up at me finally. "Yeah, that's actually the reason I came to find you. I wanted to tell you I like you... but that bastard beat me to it." She didn't say anything, just smiled and pounced on me with another tight hug that I returned with a light laugh. I placed a tiny kiss on her hair and then rested my chin on her head to enjoy this closeness for a bit longer before it would be time for curfew.