~5 years later~

"Alright brats, your teacher left you a worksheet to do and it shouldn't be too hard. I don't mind you talking just don't get loud enough so that you annoy other classes please." I said as I passed out the worksheet to the class I was substituting for. They all seem a bit amused by me, and that's because I just didn't care about whether they did their work or not. I was just there.

"Mr. Kirstein, I need to see you for a moment." One of the teachers, the art teacher to be exact, said from the door. I nodded and set the rest of the papers down. I walked into the hall and seen that he was holding what looked to be a picture of some sort with a covering over it. "This is Marco's project from when you two were in my class. I kept it, because I thought it was one of the best examples I'd ever seen aside from your own. However, I've come to realize that I'm not the one that needs it."

"Well you know that Marco moved to England to attend Oxford." I said quietly. Marco. Right, him and I hadn't talked in four years. We'd talked a lot over the phone when he first got there but once his classes started, he got busy which I understood. What I didn't understand, was the possibility that someone could be busy all the time. Even during holidays he didn't call.

"Yeah, I know but I figured with you two being so close, you could give it to him when he came to visit or you could ship it to him. Hang in there." He patted my shoulder and walked away, leaving me with the picture that held an unknown appearance. I walked back inside after a few minutes and set the picture down behind the teachers desk.

I waited and waited for three o'clock to come around but it seemed as if time decided to slow down just for me. At one point, around lunch time, I'd seen Eren who was a history teacher and the basketball coach go outside to a car that held Levi, his significant other, and they kissed each other as Levi handed Eren his lunch. It still hurt me to think that I never told Marco how I felt, even after he was there.

Finally, end of school came around and sped off to my home with the picture. I got home and debated looking at it, or finding where Marco's parents moved off to but I gave in to the former. I ripped the cover off of it and seen something ironic.

Me.

Marco had painted an amazing portrait might I say of me in some kind of military outfit and I had sword in my hand, standing tall above others that were looking up to me for orders. On the back, a piece of paper was taped to the back with none other than Marco's handwriting. It read;

I chose this setting because I believe that Jean would be an excellent leader. He's the most perfect person in my life and I wouldn't trade him for the world. He's my best friend and he's a fighter when it comes to being himself. He's just perfect.

I sat down on my bed with the fragile piece of paper. Marco had thought that I was perfect but in reality, I wasn't. But it didn't matter because he seen me as that, just like I seen him as perfect.

I wasn't going to send him a damn painting like this over the goddamn mail. So I got up, grabbed my emergency duffel bag, and walked out of the door with the painting in hand. After locking the door, I entered my car that thankfully wasn't the same as my old shitty one I used to have. I got rid of the thing long ago and got something a little more practical; a Nissan.

I started my drive and I didn't take my mind off the painting that was sitting in the seat beside me.
~
Some time later, I was walking down the streets of England, not really sure of where I was going. I did know, however, that I was headed towards a popular hangout between college students.

Marco had attended Oxford for five years, and he was going for six years for some special degree that I never really paid attention to. I was carrying the painting, covered up might I add, and I was looking around at every face I passed trying to find my freckles. Then I spotted him.

He was as beautiful as ever, his smiled was radiant as he laughed with some people I assumed was his friends. But then a rather tall and handsome man threw his arm around Marco and got fairly close, causing him to blush in the cute way that he did when something was a bit uncomfortable for him. I had to say my heart dropped as his shyly looked at the guy flirting with him. I looked away and seen a small blonde girl.

"Hi, um do you happen to know Marco, that kid over there?" I asked and she nodded with a smile. I smiled sadly back at her. "Great, um do you think that you could give this to him for me? He seems a bit busy and I have somewhere to be." She smiled again.

"Of course! I'll give it to him no problem." I thanked her and walked away, not wanting to see anything of what I'd seen a moment before. I didn't feel like renting a car so I just began the walk to my hotel.

I'd been walking for some time, a few hours probably, and the sun was starting to set. I was passing an apartment complex and it was pretty peaceful. I started to whistle the tune to the song 'The Kids Aren't Alright' by Fall Out Boy. I was whistling pretty loud I would say, and when I passed by one apartment in particular, I heard the door open on the top level.

"Jean?" I stopped whistling, turned around and looked up to the landing above. "Jean!" Marco hurriedly ran down the metal stairs and I just stood there, watching every move he made as if my life depended on it. He ran over to me and threw his arms around me. "Jean oh my god I've missed you." He said, squeezing me a few more times before awkwardly letting go and stepping back.

"Hey." I said. Wow real smooth Jean you dumbass. "Did you get the um.." I trailed off and he nodded, understanding what I was talking about. "I thought it was really good honestly, you've got good talent painting."

"Thanks. Look I know I haven't called you or anything in the past four years, but I swear there's a reason! I had broken my phone when I was standing on my balcony and it was done. I couldn't get any numbers or anything and I had to get a new number and-"

I hugged him. I squeezed his neck and held on. I held on so tight I thought that I'd strangle him, but he hugged me just as tight.

"I love you, so much."

"What?" He asked, causing me to push away and start spluttering out excuses like 'no homo' and shit like that, but then I stopped.

"You know what? Fuck it. I love you. As in, I want to spend the rest of my life with you as my lover type love. I want to wake up next to you from a long night of shitty movies and junk food. I want to be able to kiss you whenever the fuck I want. But I also want you to be my best friend, so I'm not going to push you into anything." I rambled.

"You love me?" He asked quietly, playing with the hem of his shirt.

"With all my fucking heart. I have since we went to that spot on the river I think. I've wanted to tell you so many times but I was afraid that you would think you would have to stay back in that shithole for me. It's been hard for me to not just tell you straight up that I loved you, but I did it. Even after all this time, it's like a breath of fresh air with you. I feel at home even though their idea of chips is fucking fries!" He laughed at my last burst of energy.

"Jean, I-I love you too." He said even quieter, blushing at his words.

"As in, 'I love you as my best friend' way?" He shook his head no. "What about that big dude thing that had his arm around you earlier?"

"Oh, he likes me but I've been waiting for someone else." He said while scratching the back of his neck. "Jean, I never told you how I felt because I was afraid you wouldn't like that. Truth be told, you drove me crazy with how close you would get and I thought you knew and you were just teasing me."

"You're kidding." I stated, but he shook his head. "Marco." He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Can I kiss you? Am I allowed to do that?" He giggled.

"Yes, you can do that Jean." And I did. I kissed him and it was almost like music from a movie started playing as our lips finally connected.

I think I might have just found my forever.

Sooooo this story is over I think... Probably. Anyway I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm contemplating a sequel but then again I have so many other stories going at the moment so if I get time after those I might. If I do, it'll be about them married and shit so yeah! Thanks again for reading!