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

21. Wait For Me

Jean POV

During our retreat I passed by one of the carriages transporting injured soldiers back with us only to fall back to ride alongside it. I never expected to find (Name) in such bad shape laying in one of those carriages yet there she was laying on her back, staring blankly up at the clouds that passed by, silent tears occasionally slipping from her eyes and down her cheeks to drip off into the mess of hair under her head. She was clearly alive, I could see the rise and fall of her chest though it was faint and it trembled with each breath she took. Her body was broken. Her ribs must have taken some damage, probably fractured or broken. A cut with dried blood was on her right temple in the vague shape of a horseshoe. And her left leg was almost flattened in an arc across her mid thigh. She'd been bitten...

I cursed under my breath at seeing her in such condition and felt the sting of tears that threatened to well up in my eyes. No, I couldn't cry. "(Name)..." I tried to get her attention and while she did look over at me with just her eyes, I could tell that she wasn't seeing me. Her eyes looked glassy and dull, all the light that had been in them just a couple days ago was no longer there, not even a trace. I felt my chest tighten painfully and frowned deeply. Her experience on this expedition had clearly been one that would scar her for the rest of her life... In a way that was much different and worse than what happened at Trost. Yes, it wasn't just her body that was mangled and broken, her spirit was too. She'd given up, given in to the fear that we all had of the titans. She'd accepted the fate that now lay before her. Her days as a soldier were almost certainly done with...

I watched her eyes turn back up toward the sky to watch the clouds pass. I faced forward as I continued to ride beside the carriage, hanging my head with a long sigh, disappointed that there was nothing I could do for her to ease her physical and emotional pain at this moment. The most I could do was at least be there beside her through what would come next.

~~~~

Reader POV

At some point during the ride back to Calaneth District, I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remembered was waking up to a stone ceiling in a dark room lit by a lone candle beside the bed I was laying in. I pushed myself to sit up and look around the room. Jean sat asleep in a chair in the corner and otherwise the room was empty. It smelled of sterilizing alcohol and other cleaning solutions. Ah, the smell of an infirmary. I sighed but winced as it made my ribs sting. I looked down at myself and frowned. My upper body was covered in bandages, including my chest. I lifted the blanket to swing my legs over the edge of the bed but froze at what I saw.

My left leg had been removed about halfway down my thigh. So being bitten hadn't been a horrible dream... I really did lose my leg. I took a shaky breath, ignoring the pain in my ribs from it and swung my leg over the edge of the bed to place my bare foot on the cold stone floor. I noticed a pair of crutches leaning against the wall beside the bed and reached over to grab them, using them to stand up and balance myself.

My movement must have stirred Jean because he moved from his chair, nearly knocking it over in his haste to get to my side and hug me. I winced at the embrace as it was a bit too tight. "Jean... Too tight." I complained and he quickly let go and apologized, opting for resting his hands on my shoulders instead. "I thought I was going to lose you! You were out cold for three whole days! I'm so glad you're okay." His words warmed my heart but it hurt and I looked down at the floor instead of him, shaking my head. "I can't even walk anymore, Jean. What about this is okay? I'm going to be discharged from the scouts and you know it." I could feel the frown emanating from him as he gripped my shoulders a bit tighter and placed a kiss on the top of my head. "You're alive though, that's enough for me."

He sat me back down on the bed carefully and I finally looked up at him when he took my face in his hands, gently stroking my cheeks with his thumbs before leaning down to press a soft kiss to my lips. He rested his forehead against mine and sighed softly. "You'll be fine. I know you will, because you're stronger than you think you are. And when we get this thing with Eren all sorted out, I promise I'll come find you, okay? So wait for me. Promise you'll wait for me."

~~Years Later~~

Jean POV

I stood in front of the door to a tiny home in the Underground, feeling guilt wash over me as I raised my fist to knock on the wooden surface. This place hadn't been easy to find and I forced myself to knock on the door despite how worried I was about her being mad at me or having moved or or having forgotten me. I half expected a man to answer the door but when it opened, there she stood with the supports of a pair of crutches.

I stared down at her with wide eyes, longing to reach out and hug and kiss her like I used to but I didn't know if she even remembered me now. It had been nearly 4 years since I parted with her in the infirmary back at the Scouts HQ. Her eyes widened slowly with recognition as we stared at each other and I felt my chest tighten when little tears formed in her eyes. And in the next moment I had to brace myself to not fall over as she practically threw herself at me, wrapping her arms tightly around my shoulders and burying her face in my neck. "Jean..." she croaked out, choked by tears and I couldn't tell if she was happy or upset but it didn't matter. I wrapped her in a tight hug in return and placed a kiss on the side of her head. "I told you I'd come for you." She pulled away just enough to look me in the eyes with a smile and I instantly knew those tears were happy ones. "You sure took long enough, stupid horse face." She gave me a light punch to the chest and I laughed, helping her pick up her crutches so she could stand on her own. "Yeah, yeah. Well, I'm here now just like I promised." She rolled her eyes at me and wiped her tears with one hand. "And I waited for you, just like you told me to. So what're you waiting for? Come inside."

I entered her tiny home behind her and kicked the door closed, following her to the back where her bed was hidden behind a long curtain hung from the ceiling. It was pretty dank in here, just like the rest of the Underground was, but none of that mattered because right now, the only thing I cared about was being with (Name), catching up, and perhaps more. After all, she had waited for me like she said she would and I was now retired from the scouts so I planned on worshipping her until she felt satisfied for the 4 years I'd left her alone for...

♡Fin♡