A Second Chance (Marco x Fem Reader)

Chapter 23

"Hey Y/N, you wanna walk outside for a bit before curfew?", Marco whispered while the others were busy talking about the hard training they had to endure earlier today. You smiled at him softly and nodded, kicking Eren's foot lightly under the table. He looked over at you confused.

"Tell Levi I'm skipping tea tonight", you told him, taking a hold of your tray with the now empty bowl. You could tell he wanted to know why, but when you didn't tell him he just nodded.

"Sure thing Y/N", he said with a little smile. You and Marco got up and disposed of your trays. Leaving the vast dining hall your saw Reiner and Bertholdt eyeing the two of you intently again.

'They are acting so weird. Better ask Marco what the deal is before I kick their asses. They are like my older brother's and they haven't even greeted me since they arrived!'

The evening air was crisp and chilly. You took a deep breath, feeling the cold air fill your lungs. Your hands casually found each other like it was the most natural thing, his cheeks blushing slightly. You didn't know if it was because of the chilly night or from your touch.

"Hey, are you and Reiner in a disagreement or something?", you asked him, wanting to get to the bottom of Reiner's sudden change of demeanour. Marco seemed taken back by your question for a second, but quickly pulled himself together.

"Uh yeah, something like that", he answered hesitantly, his other arm reaching up to scratch his neck. You furrowed your brows the tiniest bit. He only ever does that if he is flustered or nervous. Sure enough, Reiner have bumped heads with some of the boys in the past, mostly for very stupid reasons, so it wasn't like it was unheard of. You just expected Marco to be the last one he'd have a quarrel with.

"What happened?", you asked, digging further.

"Oh, nothing special. He just made a little insensitive comment, and I had to stand up to him", he said, looking away from you. Something was definitely up, but Marco is mature enough to handle it. You just hoped Reiner could keep the same level of maturity. Yes he is a bit older, and more mature in other ways, but if he ever argued with someone he could sometimes be a bit childish in his ways.

"I see... I hope you guys can work it out. You know Reiner, the only way to work things out is dealing with it head on", you advised. His fingers moved in your grasp, intertwining with yours.

"Yeah, I plan to talk it out with him soon", he reassured you with a smile, finally looking at you. You had reached a couple of trees standing in the middle of the lush, green field. The stars was shining extra bright tonight, no clouds in sight. Marco sat down, leaning his back against the trunk of the tree, you following his lead.

"Marco, if you don't mind me asking... Why did you change your mind?", you asked him carefully, looking him in his brown eyes. They were captivating as the light from the moon danced in them.

"Don't worry Y/N, we didn't choose the scouts just because you did", he assured you with a little laugh. You sighed relieved. You had been afraid they had felt pressured to follow you. "We all have our reasons as to why. Mine being what happened in Trost. It felt wrong shying away, hiding, pretending that the titans doesn't exist after what we experienced. Just before you joined us at the rooftop I was asking myself what we were dying for. It didn't feel like our sacrifices would mean anything. Joining the Survey Corps, dealing with the problem directly and protect the people of the walls before the titans can even reach them, well that feels meaningful", he explained softly but with confidence. He was playing with the fingers of your right hand with his hands as he spoke. You felt enchanted by his whole being. His wise words, his soft and satisfying voice, the way he softly touched your hand, the slight breeze ruffling his raven hair ever so lightly. "And then of course, I had a selfish reason, which was my insatiable need to be close to you and make sure you are okey", he added quietly, looking over at you in the corner of his eyes, too flustered to face you fully.