coffee-barista-jean

[coffee-barista-jean]

He returned Eren's moans in equal pace, running the hand resting on the shorter's neck lazily down his backbone. He felt himself lean in without thought, instinctively responding to the enthusiastic tongue running across his mouth. It was a clear plea for more- one that he found himself fulfilling without second thoughts, drowning them both deeper into euphoria. 

Jean was surprised that Eren was taking this so well. Every movement seemed natural and flowing, despite the teen's claims that he was inexperienced. It all felt right- so right, in fact, that all the fears that had been filling his mind five minutes ago now just seemed stupid. It wasn't hard to say that this wasn't like anything he'd ever done before. 

It was hard to say if they had been wrapped around each other for a few moments or a few hours, but eventually Jean pulled away, breathing coming out in short, hot puffs. He fluttered open his eyes, face brightly flushed. "That was... God, Eren..." The blond let out a small noise of pleasure, hazel orbs glittering with silent amazement. "That..."

He considered throwing away the rest of the sentence, perhaps going back in for round two- but decided against it, thinking it best to get Eren's thoughts on things. The doubt hadn't washed away completely after all, it seemed, still clinging to the back of Jean's thoughts like an annoying weed. "How was that?"

Hesitance|| @rogue-barista

[coffee-barista-jean]

Jean reached out, snagging the journal with his fingertips and dragging it back towards him. "Looks fine," he said, eyes sliding down the scratched numbers. He thought, for a moment, about holding a real gun in hands. It would probably be cold and heavy in his hands, almost as heavy as the burden that came with wielding one. Something wilted in his chest, and he wondered if confidence was going to be a problem.

He could feel Nile's gaze boring through him now. Needless to say, it wasn't helping. "We're both new to it," Jean repeated, pawing at his cheeks, settling some of the blush. If it had settled because of his actions or Nile's statement, there was no way to tell. "And no, it's not really a relationship yet. We're getting there."

"At least, I hope it's a long-lasting relationship. I'd rather that than something short-term, and I think he does too. We'll be fine." Jean's vision glanced over to Nile as if looking for reassurance, putting an invisible question mark in the place of a period. Darting over to the older figure was pure human nature- he assumed that Nile had knowledge on these types of things. 

Trying to Peace Things Together || @coffeeandasmokebreak

“You’re this embarrassed over a long term relationship.” It was almost disbelief that his voice slipped into , barely believing the words slipping from him. Foolish children.  “Well, I suppose a congratulations is in order then. You’ve finally entered an adult relationship. Such a big step for a 19 year old. Though if you’re still working it out, then it’s not quite a relationship, is it? Pity.” He’d stop the moment he pushed the other too far.  As of right now, he didn’t think Jean was close to that point. Though Jean was wrong on one point, Nile thought the other was actually rather smart. Just emotional and far too easy to play.

[coffee-barista-jean]

OOC: Very sorry for those who are waiting for replies! Since the end of the quarter approaches, I'm bogged down with more schoolwork than ever... I expect I'll have everything done by either tomorrow or Monday, so expect the replies soon!

Again, very sorry!

[coffee-barista-jean]

Jean dragged out a few short laughs, all of them sounding everything but natural. The event in the bed had been different. They had both been hazy with sleep, barely aware of what they were doing and driven by the moment even after regaining consciousness; it was strange, now. He almost missed the soft brushing of skin in the plush covers. It had been like being swept up by a torrent of emotions.

Now it was almost chess.

Holding his breath, he took a step toward Eren. Another. One after another, until he was barely a straw's length apart from the younger teen. "I guess... I'll just..." Jean cleared his throat, gaze only flickering to the side once before he reached out a hand. A lone finger traced the outline of Eren's cheekbones before encircling the circumference of his neck, coming to rest at the far side. The skin under his touch buzzed with heat and life.

He released a slow breath. His hand cupped the back of the other's neck. "Here we go," Jean muttered, voice barely audible. 

He drew towards Eren, dipping down slightly to make up for the brunet's height. Eyelids slid shut, turning his vision black. Suddenly, all he could feel was the gentle texture of Eren's lips and- god-

Hesitance|| @rogue-barista

[coffee-barista-jean]

OOC: Now that I think about it, Hesitance might have to take place after the talks with Nile and Boris...

[coffee-barista-jean]

"I'm surprised you got it right," he admitted, leaning back in the chair. "Most people say that I look older." Which wasn't exactly true, if the definition of 'most people' were two of his older family members. The statement slipped out anyway- was it a strange sort of pride? He didn't understand his brain, sometimes.

He could see the beginning sparks of doubt misting its way into Nile's gaze. The man seemed to be having second thoughts about the deal they had made. Honestly, Jean couldn't decide whether this was a good thing or not. He should've given it more thought. He let the choice rest on the older man- he was the one who had offered the deal in the first place. 

The curve of his spine, resting gently against the arch of the chair, snapped into attention as the gentle laughter slipped out of Nile's mouth. "I'm not- I'm not red," Jean said. Much too loudly, mind, only because he knew a lie when he told one. He lowered his volume for the next few sentences. Apparently, even in the frazzled mess of his mind, some sort of dignity remained. He wasn't about to shout his relationship problems for the whole cafe to hear. (A few random customers and Boris, the latter already knowing the whole thing between Jean and Eren-)

"And he's not taken, either. I'm smarter than that, though you might not think so. He's- no, we're- just... We're working it out." His shoulders went slack as he released a deep breath, tension gradually leaving him. "The whole long-term relationship thing is new... for the both of us."

Trying to Peace Things Together || @coffeeandasmokebreak

"I don’t like beating around the bush. Though you sure act suspicious for someone who isn’t fucking him. Could you be a brighter red?" The pen was pointed at the other’s face now, a soft laugh slipping from his lips. This was almost too much fun. "So let me guess. One of you wants something to happen, but the other is just oh so shy, or caught up on someone else, or actually involved with someone else. Oh, Jean, you should never go after a taken guy. It never ends well." Leaning back in the chair, Nile actually laughed, deep and actually sounding cheerful. "So what’s his name?"

[coffee-barista-jean]

OOC: Been sick all week, so now replies are really late >< I'm very, very sorry! All replies will be up by the end of today!

[coffee-barista-jean]

Jean shuffled closer to Eren as well, leaving only a fraction of space between them. "I'm not the best teacher," he admitted sheepishly. There weren't many people in the shop at the moment, not enough to cause a problem if they popped into the back room for a few minutes. The customers could call them from the counter they needed to...

A touch of anticipation curled in his stomach. Jean was glad his face wasn't the only one tinted with red- Eren's cheeks were beginning to flush as well. Progress. It helped Jean's speech, thinking of this as a stepping stone to something bigger, rather than the big thing itself.

"That's fine, yeah. The coffee's okay?" Jean nodded in the direction of the brewer, the one Eren had been fiddling with moments before. 

Hesitance|| @rogue-barista

♨ The sheer innocence of the question brought his face to snap back to meet the boy’s eyes— the gaze stolen from the other parts of the body which he was examining as he spoke. “Glad to hear you think I deserve you~,” he teasingly replied with a smile; turning the words where they didn’t lead.

The simple idea of Jean kissing him brought a light shiver to his spine at the thought of the contact. He crossed a few steps closer to the taller barista with a reddening face at the invitation.

“I—.. I’ve never kissed before,” uttered Eren with a nervous laugh. “… you could teach me… if you want.” He knew what he was doing; the words intentionally chosen to be just as cliche and embarrassingly cheesy as they sounded. Nodding towards the door, he added, “Maybe in the back

[coffee-barista-jean]

Jean looked up at Ymir, letting out a breath as well. "No, it's fine, guess I just... over-reacted." He bit his lip, kicking his feet off the ground slightly as he walked. "Sorry. That, and for the things before." This was all becoming awkwardly sentimental. He guessed Ymir had as much practice with this kind of talk as he did. 

His face did, in fact, break out into a wide grin as his he watched his plan become successful right in front of his own eyes. He bit back a laugh when the curse was hurled towards him. 

But he was wrong when he thought that the cursing would be the end of it. He walked forward, wondering if the teen was actually hurt, and ended up being caught by Ymir's leg, again. This time it came by complete surprise, leaving him without enough time to stable himself as he did before. He quickly found himself catching the pavement with his knees, ending up right beside Ymir on the ground. He could feel the disapproving stares of passerby at his back. 

He brushed the feeling off, picking himself up with a whimper. "Let's say we both deserved that." He turned to the injured girl. "Want help?"

For the M!A: (Closed RP Jean &Ymir)

Ymir rubbed her eye and tried not to look surprised “No, sorry, that came out wrong, didn’t it? I didn’t mean to make you into some super hero, I just-” She let out a sigh. “Thank you for walking me home, I didn’t mean to upset you, I just didn’t think that you would get offended.”

As Jean made contact with her foot, Ymir bit back a curse. Reaching down to stop the pain, she suddenly found a force pushing her over. Almost as if in slow motion, she could see Jean’s stupid face as she fell, unbalanced from reaching down and the unexpected push. This time she didn’t hold back the curse. “Dammit, Jean!” 

Once on the ground, she pulled her leg towards her and threw out her arm, hoping to catch the barista’s leg and trip him as well. 

[coffee-barista-jean]

Status

OOC: Sorry for the delay in replies! It's been busy busy for me...

Currently I have Ymir's, Eren's, and Nile's replies in drafts! If I missed a reply, please let me know. I'll try to get to all of them today, but if not, please except a reply within 2-3 days or so!

[coffee-barista-jean]

  Jean observed the steam start to smoke out from the brewer as he waited for the other to gather all the proper words together in his head. He didn’t mind waiting- he was surprised that Eren was willing to talk about it at all. He had been expecting guarded looks and lots of uncomfortable shifting. Or anger or depression or hints of pain. And most of all, he had been fully prepared for an outright denial of the topic.

With most of his relatives still around, he had never felt grief at the loss of a family member. He figured that the topic would be off-limits to anyone who had experienced it. It was unnerving, if not brave, that Eren was willing to discuss with him, of all people. 

When Eren finally found the words, Jean listened carefully, absorbing every bit of incoming information. It had been a long time since he had given anything his full attention like this…

He tried (and failed) to hold back a grimace of sympathy when the younger barista was finished speaking, and was about to say something along the lines of what he had said before when the pet peeve was mentioned.

"Well, I don’t know about other people, but to me it’s just a way of showing I care, and that I want to comfort them. But I can’t just run up to them and give them a hug, can I?" explained Jean. "But, if it bothers you, I won’t say sorry. For things I wasn’t responsible for, anyway." 

He allowed another pause to fill the air for a fraction of a heartbeat, in need of some way to separate the two areas of conversation. “Anyway… shit dad you have there. No…No wonder Mikasa’s so protective of you. And don’t say it’s alright,” he continued in a harder tone. “It’s clearly not. You have to admit, what you just told me falls into the boundary of ‘messed up’.” 

♨"Hugs are welcome," he mused with a grin. "If other’s don’t like ‘em, they shouldn’t have them. Oxytocin. Drug released when physical contact between humans is established. Produces dopamine-like effects." The words were stated as if they were common knowledge— the technologically-addicted teen well off, as the elder knew, in the random fact category. Nodding his head as he spoke, Eren added, "We were just hugging not even a few minutes ago, horseface. It isn’t complex."  The grin, however, was lost as Jean continued to speak; mind processing the sympathetic words, unsure, now, how to come to terms with them. Usually it was a topic that was discussed and dismissed— Eren didn’t really care to find way to care for the sympathy begotten by the topic, as sympathy never changed a situation. Though, for once, he was possessed to listen as Jean spoke; jade eyes locked on amber as the blunt words were stated. 

"It’s messed up, but… I’m here? Aren’t I?"

A half smile on his face nervously implied the words he couldn’t bring himself to say. “I’m in college; I’m making friends—… got a job… A ‘thing,’ for the first time. Things… things are good.” 

Jean's mouth slowly quirked upward into a smile the more the other rattled on with his random slice of information. Though he didn't care much about the information itself, it was nice to see a piece of the old gamer he used to know. Eren's bright personality seemed rather damper these days. Though, when Jean started to talk again, the grin slowly buried itself once more. He was sad to see it go.

As he talked, Eren was staring at him with intensity. Surprisingly so, for a person that claimed to hate sympathy. Jean wondered if Eren was so fragmented that he was drawn to it, no matter how much he didn't want to be. Or maybe something else? Anyway, he was glad to see that he was listening. 

Eren's next words were broken, seemingly trying to balance themselves on unstable ground. Everything that was said by the half-hearted smile was painful to see. The grin he returned to Eren was more at an attempt of cheering the brunet up rather than reflecting his own emotions.

"That's...great. You- you deserve it." Jean looked away, taking a deep breath before continuing,

"Listen... Since you said that...hugging was okay, you think we could take it a step further, and- and..." His gaze raked around the almost-vacant room. "I know this is...public, but just really quickly, really quickly..." another breath. "...try kissing?"

Hesitance|| @rogue-barista

coffee-barista-jean:

[coffee-barista-jean]

Happy 2014 to everyone! <3

[coffee-barista-jean]

Jean observed the steam start to smoke out from the brewer as he waited for the other to gather all the proper words together in his head. He didn't mind waiting- he was surprised that Eren was willing to talk about it at all. He had been expecting guarded looks and lots of uncomfortable shifting. Or anger or depression or hints of pain. And most of all, he had been fully prepared for an outright denial of the topic.

With most of his relatives still around, he had never felt grief at the loss of a family member. He figured that the topic would be off-limits to anyone who had experienced it. It was unnerving, if not brave, that Eren was willing to discuss with him, of all people. 

When Eren finally found the words, Jean listened carefully, absorbing every bit of incoming information. It had been a long time since he had given anything his full attention like this...

He tried (and failed) to hold back a grimace of sympathy when the younger barista was finished speaking, and was about to say something along the lines of what he had said before when the pet peeve was mentioned.

"Well, I don't know about other people, but to me it's just a way of showing I care, and that I want to comfort them. But I can't just run up to them and give them a hug, can I?" explained Jean. "But, if it bothers you, I won't say sorry. For things I wasn't responsible for, anyway." 

He allowed another pause to fill the air for a fraction of a heartbeat, in need of some way to separate the two areas of conversation. "Anyway... shit dad you have there. No...No wonder Mikasa's so protective of you. And don't say it's alright," he continued in a harder tone. "It's clearly not. You have to admit, what you just told me falls into the boundary of 'messed up'." 

Hesitance|| @rogue-barista

     ♨ "That’s good, then," he hummed with a small smile; pouring the beans into the brewing basket (within such resided a fresh filter), Eren returned the metal filter to the coffee brewer before setting it to a half batch; the day was going slowly. "It’s always interesting— the variety of reactions people have to sexuality; I never understood it…"

His voice trailed off as he continued to listen to the other speak of the status of their relationship; a few of the words initially put him on edge— though, the conclusion had the teen relatively comfortable. A light huff fell from his lips as he muttered “You’re just as great at wording things as I am” across a gentle laugh before nodding in agreement. “A learning experience is what we’ll call it if it flops; an experience typically tends to be past tense, no?”

As he spoke, his head angled downwards in the slightest; eyes still trained on the tall figure with gentle mirth before the awkward silence got to him. 

"… hm?"

The barista had barely realized that he had yet to mention his parents to many others; the incident reserved to the two other persons who he spent a majority of his time around… it was odd to be around so many new people all at once.

"I—… My, uh…."

The fumbles spilled for a few moments as Eren collected his thoughts, wondering how to word and summarize the details of the story so the other could understand. A voice once playful turned somewhat serious; not wanting to sound too overly dramatic to ruin the mood— the words ringing matter-of-factly.

"My parents—… well… aren’t really in the picture," he began, lips parsed into a slant. "When I was around nine, my family adopted Mikasa after her parents were killed—… and then a year later my mother was awake and fine one moment, and then dying on the floor from a brain hemorrhage the next— caused by some preexisting condition I couldn’t bring myself to listen to about…"

The memory brought slight discomfort, though, at this point he was all too numbed to the pain of the story. “… it was right when we were getting ready for school; except… the neighbor found us that day, and we spent it in the police station and the hospital. My dad— he was a surgeon— never really returned home from work that day; nobody knows where he’s gone off to, or even if he’s alive at this point. Mikasa and I jumped around the foster care system a bit around the Shiganshina area, and got close to Armin around that time. Now we’re of age and on our own, really—…”

Eren looked up to monitor Jean’s reaction to the words; quickly adding, with a bit more exigence, “…— but it’s alright, really, it is. Just, don’t apologize, alright? It my biggest pet peeve. You tell someone, the first thing they say is that they’re sorry—— for what? It isn’t as if they had any control over the situation…”

[coffee-barista-jean]

Jean rolled his eyes. "You should try it more. Maybe then people will stop thinking you've gone crazy on Christmas." He paused. "You haven't gone crazy, have you?"

"Because I don’t think pushing someone over is recommended for a sprained ankle," Ymir lifted the book. "Merry Christmas, Jean."

"Wow, um, uh, I…wasn’t expecting this," Jean said, looking back and forth from the book to Ymir. Feeling both a hate and a fondness for the gift, he slipped it into his bag. 

[coffee-barista-jean]

First time? During all the times he had teased Eren of being unable to get a date because of his gamer tendencies, he had always had an assumption in the back of his head that the gamer was actually quite popular with the dating crowd. Looks, first of all. Even as he was thinking this his eyes were raking over Eren's face. Point proven.

Jean suspected Eren had more to say, so he let the other go on. A few points caught on his mind, begging to be questioned- but he had more sense than that. He did nod knowingly when Eren brought up the Armin situation. Jean hadn't known that Eren was that...isolated.

"Nothing's going to change for me, either. My parents... well, I think, as long as I get a stable job and all that, they'll be fine with whatever I do. And other than them, there's no one whose opinions I care about, so..." He shrugged nonchalantly. 

"You asked if this was an experiment or not, right? Truth is...I'd say it'd be a...kind-of experiment." Jean brushed a stray strand of hair back into place. His answer probably sounded weak, avoiding, on-the-bench... but he had no other way to explain it. "This was... Even I hadn't realized I had any feelings for you until that night in the apartment. I don't intend it to be an experiment, alright? I'm not planning to drop you in a few weeks to see if it's worth it or not- but I don't really know what to do, either. Can we call it a learning experience? For both of us?"

Jean coughed stiffly, shifting his balance here and there before letting out one previous question that had stuck to his brain as Eren had talked. "You...if this is bad, sorry, but... you mentioned something about your parents?"

Hesitance|| @rogue-barista

     ♨ "This is my first time dating," the male returned, after the grinder had silenced itself, "at all." With a light sigh, he continued, "I knew you had a thing for her in however long we’ve been here, which is why I was confused at everything." With a light pause, Eren reflected at the response, wondering, "So are you …? Or is this an experiment? It would help to know…"

Part of him loathed the impending response, fearing the latter answer. It wasn’t a death sentence, and he didn’t disillusion himself into thinking it as something like that: it would simply mean that things would go a lot slower than he had intended, which a higher chance of it ending… unfavorably.

"As for my story, I didn’t really—… well, I never actually considered sexuality. Armin seemed enough of a distraction and we were both pretty disillusioned about that whole pseudorelationship. After my parents—…. I didn’t really consider opening up to anybody other than Armin and Mikasa. You know the rest of the story in terms of Arlert and the sexuality crisis."

“It isn’t even like I can panic about being gay—… it just kinda, is. I mean, Mikasa’s not gonna kick me to the curb. So I guess I get off scot-free in this whole scenario, I guess—…” The realization hit him a few minutes later about Jean’s situation, eyes widening as they met amber. “… you?”

[coffee-barista-jean]

"Because I don't think pushing someone over is recommended for a sprained ankle," Ymir lifted the book. "Merry Christmas, Jean."

"Wow, um, uh, I...wasn't expecting this," Jean said, looking back and forth from the book to Ymir. Feeling both a hate and a fondness for the gift, he slipped it into his bag. 

[coffee-barista-jean]

Jean blinked, perplexed. "You know what, I'm not even going to bother asking," he announced, throwing his arms in the air and having them land on the tabletop with a thump. He sat back in his chair with a glare, loathing the smirk perched on Nile's face. It softened as the other went on, glad to be away from Nile's supposedly messed up college years. "Yeah, 19. I'd say I still have a few years to go in terms of 'fun'?" 

He nodded, satisfied. Nile looked like a man of his word. Scheming, yes, but trustworthy, if that made any sense at all. There was just something in that steady, authoritative gaze that held a spark of loyalty. "Especially between those two," Jean agreed. "Well, you'll get it sorted out somehow." He was tempted to offer the man a wink or a thumbs-up, some sign of encouragement, but ended up merely gliding his fingers along the table's edges. 

The pen was distracting Jean with the way it was rolling around Nile's fingertips. He almost missed the next phrase, but when he caught it (just by a hair), the straightforward-ness of the words knocked him off-guard, instantly toppling the few defenses of self-control he had tried to protect. Jean barely noticed the instant color change of his face- a light shade of pink becoming a dark, rosy red- too busy scrambling for words.

"I-I'm-I'm not fucking him," he sputtered. "You didn't have to put it so, so bluntly." He threw in an agitated huff for good measure before continuing, "We're working it out." Let Nile figure out what that means by himself, he thought, pleased by the vague answer he had given the other. 

Trying to Peace Things Together || @coffeeandasmokebreak

His hand felt lonely with the cigarette out, to which he just pulled out a pen, and started rolling it between his fingers instead. “That’s not what I meant. I must not be speaking clearly. The person you’re fucking works with you on Friday, don’t they?” He asked, cocking an eyebrow up. And right under Erwin’s nose. Now that might be news to casually spread to the other. Possibly. “Might be, might not be. It depends on just what you think this is. Care to define it?”