the whole "boyfriends" thing
Jean Kirschtein. Reiner Braun.
High School AU.
Chess Boards. Cigarettes. Mother-Son Conversations.
1657 words.
(ao3.)
By dumbass teenage boy standards, Jean Kirschtein’s bedroom is fairly neat. Even if the odd marker or paint tube finds itself on the floor, every sock is either tucked into his drawer or tossed into the hamper, every sweater is hung cleanly in his closet or methodically placed on a hook near his door. Even his lacrosse sticks are leaning neatly against a wall.
Reiner is usually able to find a place for himself, that place often being the bed or the floor, as it’s where he can best fit in the limited space. Today he sits with his back against the headboard, situated near the window on a chilly afternoon where the sky is covered with clouds.
The size of the mattress may be small, yet Jean remains in front of him, his long legs folded as he balances a mixed media sketchbook on his knee. Despite the modestly-sized chess board between them, Jean is a lot more concerned with doodling than engaging in the game.
Every few moves they’ll pass the lit cigarette between them, though as the pieces get scattered over the board Jean finds himself accepting it less and less. But Reiner doesn’t seem to mind, as the sound of the Pet Shop Boys playing off laptop speakers keeps their little corner of the world at ease.
Reiner moves his rook across the board, placing it in the ideal spot to take out Jean’s king.
“Check.”
Jean’s eyes show a mild disinterest in the game, yet he puts his charcoal pencil in his mouth so he can move his bishop in front of his king. He then goes back to shading his sketch with soft, dusty lines.
Reiner rolls his eyes and moves one of his knights, further creating another point of attack to take down Jean’s king.
“Double check.”
Jean gives his boyfriend a glare. “You can’t double check, dipshit.”
“Yes, I can…” Reiner starts, taking a rather slow pull of the cigarette. “...and I will.”
Jean rolls his eyes before ceding to the notion. He’s far past the point of arguing over chess, and thus takes Reiner’s rook and knocks down his king himself. He doesn’t put up a fight when Reiner scoffs and begins reorganizing the board for round four. It helps that he’s not entirely invested in the match, as the drawing of a flower in his book is far more important.
Reiner passes the cigarette to Jean as he assembles the next game, Jean tipping some ash into the tray before taking a drag of his own. After blowing out a puff of smoke he places the stick on the tray, which resides on his windowsill.
Then like clockwork, a knock is heard and the bedroom door creaks open. Being used to Jean’s mother by now, Reiner’s disposition barely changes as she pops her head into the room. He hadn’t even heard her enter the house.
Arielle Kirschtein’s eyes are a familiar shade of hazel, the kind with the slightest bits of green, but unlike Jean her hair is a bit darker and her face looks a lot softer, a contrast to her son’s more angular features. Donning a hoodie over her usual nursing scrubs, it’s safe to assume that she just got home from a shift.
“Jeanbo,” Arielle begins. “Did you-”
“Yeah, Ma,” Jean grumbles, not looking up from his drawing. He places his pencil between his teeth again to start smudging the medium with his finger. He manages to speak through the object in his mouth. “The chicken’s defrosting. Took it out when I got home.”
Arielle smiles and nods. “That’s all I needed to hear, thank you.”
Reiner looks at Arielle with a calm expression. Perhaps any other mother would clutch her pearls at the sight, one involving a strappingly handsome linebacker in her son’s bed with a lit cigarette resting on the windowsill. But she proves to be different, giving the guest in her home an honest smile.
“Hi, Mrs. Kirschtein,” Reiner greets, clearly trying to sound polite.
“Oh, Reiner, you know you can call me Arielle, right?” she jests, letting out a laugh.
The linebacker chuckles. “Yeah, I’m still working on that.”
Arielle nods, then eyes her son being artsy and deep. “And Jeanbo, remember to-”
“Yes, Ma!” Jean responds, implying that he’s heard this particular tone of voice countless times. He dramatically pulls the pencil from his mouth to begin more shading. “We’ll clean up when we’re done!”
Arielle lets out another laugh, an infectious noise that cuts into the music playing from the laptop. “Okay, you boys behave.”
Once she’s gone she closes the door. The chess board is now set up and Reiner reaches for the cigarette again, holding it between his fingers. One would expect a football player to be more health-conscious, yet something about the atmosphere of Jean’s room helps him stop caring, even if for a moment. Sometimes he wonders what the school would think to see the star football player and lacrosse captain enjoying a smoke together, some people would find it more scandalous than the whole “boyfriends” thing.
“Why’s your mom so chill?” Reiner asks, making the first move in the game.
“Because when I was young I was an absolute fucking nightmare,” Jean explains, his signature snark seeping into his voice.
He reaches over and moves his own pawn, then when Reiner passes the cigarette he accepts, taking a drag with the energy of a vintage film star who’s no longer a suitable leading lady at the tender age of twenty five.
“Life tip,” Jean starts, keeping his eyes on his significant other. “Lower the bar when you’re a kid so the bare minimum impresses your mother in the future.”
Reiner chuckles, though this time it’s plagued with a sense of unease, a contrast to the lightheartedness he had shown not a minute earlier.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
…
…
…
Reiner is gone by the time dinner rolls around. As per usual, Jean rids his room of the smoky smell with a can of air freshener and the strategic opening of his window. Once the warmer weather comes around he and Reiner should be able to spend time in the backyard, whether they be training like the productive athletes they are or continuing to be teenage dipshits. But in the meantime, Jean’s bedroom will have to do.
Once the space is mostly clean he heads downstairs, entering the kitchen to join his mother.
Arielle is cooking when Jean walks by. He heads straight to the fridge to retrieve the milk, then like clockwork he takes a pull directly from the carton.
Arielle wordlessly grabs a glass from the cupboard and slides it across the counter, where Jean catches it.
Jean rolls his eyes but heeds to her request, pouring himself a glass of milk like a respectable young man. For once.
“Did Reiner leave?” Arielle asks, focusing on her cooking as her son chugs milk behind her.
Jean nods as he puts down his glass. “Yeah, he has to pick up his cousin from karate. It’s a whole thing.”
Arielle hums. “Good to know.”
A few moments pass as she continues to cook and Jean pours himself another glass of milk — clearly, his sudden growth spurt isn’t going to fuel itself. When Arielle steps away from the stove she heads to the spice shelf. She doesn’t need to reach for the tarragon for long before Jean steps in, silently grabbing the small bottle that’s just out of his mother’s reach. At least he’s using his freakish frankenteen height for good.
Arielle grins as she accepts the spices, then heads back to the stove. “I ran into Karina, by the way, at the post office.”
Jean raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”
Arielle nods as she sprinkles dried herbs into a pan full of stir-fried chicken and vegetables. “Yeah, she’s…” she begins, then pauses to think her words through. “...she’s not exactly the easiest person to talk to.”
Jean’s only reaction is to shrug. “That’s Ms. Braun for ya.”
The sound of a sizzling pan fills the kitchen as Jean feels his smartphone vibrate. He fishes it out of his pocket as he leans against the counter, reading the latest text from his boyfriend. The bulk of the message consists of a smiling selfie depicting Reiner and his little cousin, the caption explaining that Gabi finally earned her green belt with a flurry of excited emojis.
Jean grins and sends back a reply about how she’ll be the next linebacker by the time she’s in high school.
The memory of Reiner’s smile remains in Jean’s mind even after putting his phone down. Soon he feels his mother tapping his shoulder, then when he looks over he sees her gesturing to a cutting board, a knife, and several stalks of unsliced scallions. She doesn’t need to say anything for him to walk over and get to work.
The sound of chopping permeates the air, alongside the sizzle and Arielle’s quiet humming. As Jean meticulously slices the scallions as thin as his mother prefers them, a sudden thought comes to his mind, one influenced by the conversion between him and his mother, as well as the message from his boyfriend.
“Uh… mom?” Jean starts.
Arielle doesn’t look up from her pan. “Yes?”
“Ms. Braun doesn’t know about me and Reiner,” Jean decides to say. He keeps his words simple, not wanting to complicate things. Like his mother, he focuses on cooking, but lets the topic in mind retain its weight. “So could you maybe… not let her in on this?”
Arielle looks to Jean, then when he meets her gaze he notices the worried, questioning look on her face.
“Not tell her we’re together, I mean,” he’s quick to clarify.
And to that Arielle doesn’t hesitate. She nods her head and immediately goes back to cooking, understanding the request but not making a fuss about it.
“Of course, of course.”
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