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“Are you ready for tonight?” Jean asks as he watches you busying yourself by shoving notes and books into your bag. You're both in the music room, the place where you've been busy writing and practising and Jean has been watching and occasionally, helping. It's a pattern that the two of you have fallen into over the last month. Well, it's a pattern he's fallen into over the last month anyway – you'd told him that he could come and hang out and he's found himself doing that more and more often.

It's become a daily thing when you're both at college.

In the last month, Jean's learned a lot about you – your favourite colour, your favourite band, your favourite food and all that regular stuff. But also that you've been playing the piano since you were three years old and you come from a family of musicians – your mother is a piano teacher, your father is a producer and your brother is uh... the lead singer of that band that The Pussycats supported than Jean hates so much.

When he found that out, every question he still had about how the hell Ymir'd swung that gig i9n the first place had been answered in one fell swoop.

Jean had found out that you'd been in choirs since you were a kid and that you were currently one of the lead sopranos in the college choir. That you'd known Ymir since before college and that you considered her a close friend, that you hadn't exactly been down for the band thing but she'd been so excited about the idea of it that you'd agreed anyway. That now you were in said band, you were determined to actually whip Christa and Ymir into something acceptable.

Ultimately, he'd found out that behind that pretty face, you were actually pretty fucking cool. And he was so happy that he had the chance to get to know you.

You blow a piece of hair out of your face and give him a look. “Is one ever really ready for a performance with The Pussycats?” You teased.

Tonight was The Pussycats' second gig. Again, your brother had a gig in that same rundown bar and he'd offered you a spot as a support again.

Unfortunately, he'd offered it in front of Ymir.

“Yeah, but it might not be so bad this time.” Jean tries to reassure you. “You're getting a lot better, or should I say Ymir and Christa are getting a lot better. Just make sure Christa can see over the kit this time,” he teases you back. “And maybe tape Ymir's mouth shut before you start?”

His heart beats just a little faster as you shake your head at him, a fond smile playing on your lips. He's seen your smile, seen you laugh, heard you say his name and said yours so many times now but he still gets such a kick out of it.

Such a kick out of just being around you.

He should probably tell you how he feels about you, because he still has the whole romantic feelings for you going on... but he can't, because what if all this ends? What if he can't hang out with you like this anymore? What if you're grossed out by the whole thing.

Becoming friends with you has only made those feelings stronger, though.

“You're coming tonight, right?” Jean looks up to find you staring at him curiously, head cocked to one side, no doubt wondering what he was thinking about that got him that lost in his thoughts. “I need my good luck charm,” you're teasing him again, no doubt about it but his heart still skips a beat.

“Course I'll be there.”

*~*~*

Same shitty bar, same shitty beer, same leaning against the bar next to Marco and Eren. But hey, this shitty bar still isn't ID-ing, so that's something. Jean's eyes cast around, he hasn't seen you or Christa or Ymir even turn up yet and your set is supposed to start in ten minutes. Again, it's just the support act of the support act.

But hopefully things will go a little bit better this time.

He knows how hard you've been working, writing your own unique material and because Ymir's still insistent about how much she wants the band to succeed, you've been spending a lot of time rehearsing and coaching them through.

Jean wants this to go well for you, so bad. Or at least for this to not end up with you being bottled.

You could have fooled that crowd once before, but he doubts that a second time is going to be the charm.

“Hey?” Jean looks up to see all eyes on Sasha. “So what're we going to do this time, you know when this ends up crashing and burning. 'Cos last time they said they knew they sucked, but if we actually say that they're trash...”

“I don't think they'll be that bad this time.” Jean finds himself saying without even really thinking about it. “They've had more time to rehearse... and... stuff,” he trails off as he realizes that he's being stared at by the rest of the group and their raised eyebrows. Well, expect Marco, obviously.

“Oh right,” Eren's smug fucking face gets smugger when he breaks into that stupid fucking smug smile of his. “You been sitting in on their rehearsals now? God knows you stalk that poor girl everywhere else.”

“I don't stalk her.” Jean retorts through gritted teeth. “We're friends. That's all.”

“Yeah,” Marco decides to chime in for some reason. “They're just friends.” And Jean really does not like the way he says that, the emphasis he puts on just friends as if he's trying to hint at something.

But when he glares at him, Marco just grins back.

Jean hates his friends.

“I think it's cute,” Sasha joins in. “I didn't think we were ever gonna marry him off, with that horse face that only a mother could love and everything.” She teases.

Jean really hates his friends.

“Nah,” Connie smirks, joining in on what is apparently International Taunt Jean Day. “She's only letting him hang around with her out of pity, nothing is going to happen there.”

Has Jean mentioned he really fucking hates his friends?

He knows that they're only teasing him (with the exception of Eren probably) but it's still annoying, they really suck.

A familiar snort behind him sends a chill down Jean's spine and he turns round to see The Pussycats in all their glory standing behind him. Ymir is smirking, Christa is wearing her very highest shoes (she does know she'll be sat down, right? Jean can't help but wonder) and you... well, you just look bemused.

And he's guessing that you heard all of that.

“We're running late, can't stop.” Christa says, cutting off Ymir when she opens her mouth and grabbing her girlfriend's arm, practically dragging her towards the door to the 'back stage' area leaving you to follow behind them.

Which you do.

For about ten steps.

“Oh hang on,” you mutter, breaking off from Ymir and Christa and walking back towards the group. When you get to them, you grab Jean and pull him onto a tight hug. “Thanks for being here,” you whisper against his ear.

And when you let him go, you lean up and press a kiss onto his lips.

With a smirk, you raise an eyebrow at his friends before sauntering off through the door and into the back room.

Well.

Jean'll just wait for you after you finish, he guesses.