in the middle of the chaos | jean kirstein x fem!reader

33 | in the middle of the coronation

She didn't know what time it was when she felt hands shaking her shoulders. Her eyes slowly fluttered open. It was still dark.

"Y/n, wake up,"

"Connie?"

She propped herself on her eyebrows. There was a lit candle on her nightstand — one Connie must've brought — which illuminated the side of his face. He had bags under his eyes and slouched.

"Jean got a nightmare." Connie yawned as he spoke.

She got off her bed and put on her boots without zipping them up. The moment her bed was vacant, Connie crashed on it, chest down and his snores coming out in unison with Sasha's. Y/n sighed and threw her blanket over Connie, then grabbed his candle and made her way to the next room over.

Jean was sitting on his bed, his hands covering his ears. He didn't move when the door opened and closed, he didn't move when Y/n left the candle on his nightstand and he didn't move when she sat down next to him. His eyes were wide and unfocused, the light from the candle making them shine.

He jumped when Y/n put a hand on his biceps and looked down at her. "Y/n?"

"Connie called me over," she mumbled, still not really awake. "Said you had a nightmare."

"Yeah. It happens," Jean confirmed, taking down his hands from his ears and putting one of them over Y/n's on his arm.

"You wanna talk about it?" Y/n asked. Standart procedure.

"Not really."

That was fine. She wouldn't press him. Besides, they have a big day tomorrow. They needed rest. "You wanna try sleeping again? Connie face-planted on my bed already, so I gotta stay here."

A chuckle. "Yeah, sure."

The two laid side by side under the thin blanket. Y/n blew out the candle, but she could still see the moonlight illuminating Jean's features slightly. She moved her hand to his face and ran her fingers through his fair. His hands were on her waist.

Jean was out within seconds.

Y/n needed longer. So many times they have had to wake each other up to help nightmares, especially since they'd officially become Scouts. Was this going to stay that way for the rest of their lives?

Y/n closed her eyes. She didn't want to think about it, not now when she could have this short moment of peace.

———

The crowd cheered as Christa — now offically Historia — finally received the crown on her head. She was dressed in regal white dress with a red cape over them as she faced her people, proudly holding her fist over her heart in a salute.

Regardless of having just been crowned, Historia was still Historia, and she was a teenage girl.

"Hold on . . . You're seriously doing it, Historia?" Eren asked, his voice full of worry.

"Yes, I will."

"Mikasa was just joking about it! Right, Mikasa?"

The young Scouts were all walking behind Historia, who'd gotten rid of her crown and cape in favor of appearing more normal. Her friends were all dressed in their military uniforms, following Historia's determined march.

"After you smack him, tell him this . . . 'I dare you to hit me back.'"

"Damn you . . ."

Y/n, Sasha and Connie all snickered at the suggestion. "Oh, you can also bring up his height or something. Put the nail in the coffin."