JeanMarco Solstice

"Jean. Jean." Marco's voice echoed somewhere.

Jean squinted his eyes, gazing as best he could through the darkness. But all around him was nothing more than pitch black.

"Jean, over here!"

He followed the sound of his voice, stumbling through the darkness. "Marco?" He called out.

"Jean!" Marco was far away from him, but Jean could see him now.

"Marco!" Jean ran up to him, breathing hard, his heart racing from relief. "Marco, you're-" Jean froze. He had put his hand onto Marco's shoulder and turned him around, but his face was a gaping void. He backed up, eyes wide.

"JEAN." The voice distorted, worms oozing from every inch of Marco's flesh. "JOIN US. YOU WON'T REGRET IT."

Jean breathed heavily, tears gathered in his eyes. This wasn't Marco. Marco was dead, and this parasite was just puppeting his body like a fucked up marionette! Marco got closer and Jean fell backwards.

The worms ate through every inch of Marco's skin, turning into a writhing, pulsating mass of blue and red. Then, the mass caught fire, and Jean was watching a funeral pyre. The worms screamed hellishly, like the souls of the damned. They reached out towards him, chanting his name over and over.

One caught his hand, and armored plates began to form over it.

"No… no…" He breathed. "No, no, no!" He grabbed his sword to sever the arm before it could spread, but the blade snapped against the armored plates that formed over his shoulder. He screamed, but his head was entombed, his jaws locked together. The worms writhed under the armor, spreading and multiplying, and consuming every bit of his flesh-

Jean awoke with a sharp gasp, tears streaming down his face and his throat aching from his own muffled screams. He breathed hard, looking up. Marco was resting, his arm and shoulder bandaged from the titan attack.

Right, right. Jean reminded himself. Marco is alive, Reiner saved him from that titan. He must've fallen asleep at his bedside, and had a nightmare.

Jean looked around the warehouse. This was the place. The Owl had called for an emergency meeting here, and he could see the other Restorationists chatting and milling about. Though, something was off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was wrong. Just, a sinking pit in his stomach, an overwhelming sense of incoming doom.

"Jean!" Marco ran up and pulled him into a hug.

"Marco!" He hugged him back, the feeling ebbed away. It was pretty much impossible to be upset when Marco was around.

"What do you think the meeting is going to be about?" Marco asked, looking around.

"Dunno." Jean said bluntly. He hummed. "The Owl might be trying to warn us about the authorities being on our trail. Those damn freaks are persistent." He watched the crowd, noticing as their leader stepped outside to fetch his wife. Then- the metal gates slammed shut.

Jean's mind went blank, he could only hear the shouts of the crowd, and the bloodcurdling screams of their leader.

It was a trap. It was a damned trap, the Owl had betrayed them-

Gas began to fill the warehouse, a metallic smell filling the air. Jean recognized the smell, it was aerosolized spinal fluid. These creeps were trying to infect all of them.

"Ah, well, you see, ah…" Jean was clearly flustered, his face bright red.

Marco looked down at the rather embrarrasing attempt at a birthday cake. The frosting was melted, and the bread was probably taken out of the oven too soon, as it was sagging and uneven. The writing was also considerably sloppy.

"Happy birthday, Marco." Jean set the catastrophe down, fidgeting awkwardly.

Marco walked over and dug a spoon into the sad excuse for a cake. As horrible as it looked, the taste was magnificent. "This is delicious!" He said, quickly grabbing a knife and cutting a large piece for himself. He kissed Jean, frosting still on his lips. "Thanks, Jean!"

If even possible, Jean looked even redder than before. Steam rising from his head. He shook, smiling dumbly. "Ah, uh you liked it?"

"Of course!" Marco said, kindly. "You made it for me! Why wouldn't I like it?"

"Well." Jean said, smile falling. "I did completely ruin it. I wanted to make you something special, because you'd been so down lately. And everything going on is so stressful, I just wanted to make you something special. Something to maybe make up for all the bad times."

"Jean." Marco said, softly. "I wouldn't care if it tasted bad. It's not the quality of the cake that matters to me. It's the fact that you went out of your way to try and help me." He sniffled, tears gathering in his eyes. "I… I really appreciate that you thought of me like that…"

Jean walked over and pulled Marco into a hug.

"I love you, Jean."

The crisp night air nipped at Jean's skin. He took a deep breath and joined the others at the bonfire. Sasha and Connie were both roasting fruits on the end of some sticks they found. Marco was gazing blankly into the fire. Jean sat next to him, gently wrapping and arm around him. Marco made a quiet noise, then leaned into the touch.

He was finally well enough to join them, and managed to re-pass all of his exams. He had healed quite nicely. Jean had worried he would've lost his arm from the titan bite, but there wasn't even a scar left behind. As gory as the wound had looked, it was strange. But-

It was perhaps best not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"I'm glad you're doing better." Jean said quietly.

Marco seemed startled for a moment, before smiling softly. "Thanks. I thought I was going to die, but I take this. I guess."

Jean stared into the fire. He tried not to see the bodies of his fallen comrades. To think, all it took for all those lives to be lost was a simple gate malfunction. It had gotten stuck open, and the titans just rushed in. It was perhaps a miracle that Eren was actually a titan. He'd managed to cut down the horde just as things were starting to look hopeless. And his reckless fighting managed to get it closed before more could get in.

Well, the gate was broken worse than before, but now it was broken closed instead of open.

"We've had a long couple of months, it seems." Jean sighed.

Marco buried his face into Jean's chest. "Jean, I-" He sucked in a breath. "I don't know what it is, but something is wrong with me."

Jean pulled away, confused. "What? You look fine to me."

Marco fidgeted, his brows furrowed. "That bite should've left a scar, hell it should've killed me." He traced a finger along his wrist and down his arm. "That titan, it put something under my skin… I don't know what it is, but I can feel it wriggling around… inside of me." He was shaking now, tears gathering into his eyes. "It did something to me Jean… I-I don't feel human anymore."

Marco didn't know how long or how far he'd ran. He just kept running, the sound of Reiner's titan snarling and slobbering being enough to motivate him to get away. He could hardly believe it. Not only was Reiner a monster, but now he was trying to kill Marco.

When having another titan eat him didn't work, Reiner killed and decided to take matters into his own hands. Or, teeth, perhaps.

Glancing behind, he could see his former comrade's lumbering form. His neck stretched to an impossible length, jaw unhinged, and worms writhing about in his mouth like a nest of hungry chicks. Marco skidded to a stop when Annie landed in front of him.

"Annie, please!" Marco begged. "Don't do this."

There was a hint of remorse in her eyes, but her mouth set into a thin line as she pulled out her blades.

"You're not going anywhere, Marco."

Tears streamed down his face, his body seizing up as he felt the cold, clammy texture of Reiner's teeth. Pain quickly followed up, something white hot invading his body and burrowing into his his head-

x~x

Jean rushed over, dropping down to the ground when he saw Marco on a stretcher. "Marco!" He was shaking, barely able to breathe as tears gathered in his eyes.

"A titan got to him." Reiner said. "I only just barely managed to kill it in time."

The waves crashed against the shoreline, filling the air with a fresh, salty smell. Jean inhaled large gulps of it, watching the light of the setting sun dance on the waves. This was it, the was the freedom they sought.

Marco sat in the warm sands next to him. He intertwined their fingers, and leaned against him. There was a serenity welling up in Jean's very soul. He could stay like this forever. Just him and Marco, in the light of the setting sun, enjoying the freedom they'd fought for. The freedom that so many died for.

The freedom that Marco died for.

Wait what? Where'd that come from? Marco was sitting right next to him. The warmth of his body radiating into Jean. He was alive and well, nothing was wrong at all!

Jean only arrived in time to see Reiner's sympathetic look. He fell to his knees as he apologized. Marco had been another casualty of the cruel world they lived in. It was too late. It was far too late. There was nothing he could've done.

Jean shook the thoughts out of his head. What was going on. The sun brightened, the air simmering and getting hotter. The ocean boiled away, and clouds began to bleed across the sky.

Shaking, Jean turned Marco around.

His grinning skull gazed back at him.

x~x

Marco held Jean's hand as he writhed in bed. The parasite was fighting tooth and nail against his own body. And it seemed there was a painful stalemate.

"Oh Jeanboy~"

With an angry grunt, Jean whipped around to see Eren with a shit-eating grin on his face. What did that asshole want now?

"You like Marco, don't you? Jeanboy?" Eren snickered.

"N- W-well…" He grimaced. Now was not the time for Eren to interrogate his feelings! Marco was really sick, Jean needed to focus his energy on.

"I noticed how your hand lingers on his, and how you spend so much time in the infirmary with him." Eren wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Jean crossed his arms. "Or more accurately, your creepy parasite Armin figured that shit out and pointed it out to you."

Eren's energy completely changed. He went from teasing to looking murderously angry. Jean swallowed, stiffening his muscles so he wouldn't flinch.

"Take that back." Eren growled. "Armin is not a parasite." He was staring him down. Funny how Eren seemed allergic to eye contact until he was angry.

Jean glared back. "Why don't you make me?"

Eren lunged at him with surprising force. He clamped down onto his arm, biting so hard that blood was streaming down his torso. Jean screamed from the sheer pain of it, punching Eren in the head to try and make him let go. But Eren must've gotten something important, because Jean could feel himself fading. He heard Mikasa telling Eren to stop before he passed out.

x~x

"Jean?"

He opened his eyes to a still feverish and weak Marco in the bed next to his. "M-Marco? What-?" He tried to move his arm and flinched at the pain. Looking over, he spotted Mikasa, who had a death grip on Eren's arm.

"Eren's sorry for biting you." She yanked on his arm when he tried to growl. "He promises he won't go that far again as long as you don't tell anyone."

Marco shifted nervously in his seat as Bertholdt carefully trimmed his hair and whiskers. He fidgeted, looking around the bathroom and thinking about Jean. This was their first official date as mates. While he was excited that Jean had agreed to go out with him, he couldn't help but feel nervous.

What if he messed this up and embarrassed himself in front of Jean? What if he pissed him off? Marco simply couldn't bear the idea of Jean hating him.

"Loot at you." Bertholdt cooed. "Going on your first date!" He sighed. "They grow up so fast…"

Marco hummed nervously, and Bertholdt picked up on his distress.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm just worried something will go wrong." Marco admitted. "I really love Jean, and I want our first official date to be special. Something we can both look back on when we're married."

Bert pulled Marco into a hug, rubbing his nape soothingly. "I had those same worries when I first started dating your father." He chuckled. "Turns out he felt the exact same way, and we both had a great time." He pulled away from Marco, and gently pressed foreheads together. "I'm sure Jean is just as nervous. Just try to focus on having a good time, don't worry so much about it being perfect."

"Thanks, Dad." Marco said, smiling to himself.

"No problem, Marco." He gave him a quick spritz of a mild cologne. It was specially made to enhance Marco's natural pheromone signature.

x~x

Jean and Reiner had gotten ready seperately, and they decided to meet at the restaurant. Marco kept Bertholdt's words in his mind as he climbed down from the Cart Titan taxi. He adjusted his bowtie and walked up to Jean, who whipped around, surprised.

"Oh! Hey, flowers! I, uh…" He looked away, flustered. "No no… that's wrong…" He took a deep breath and tried again. "Hi flowers, I got you Marco!" He offered Marco a bouquet of moonflowers and albino roses.

Marco took the bouquet and kissed Jean on the lips. "Let's just try to have fun." He said.

Jean laid in Marco's arms, the two stared up at the glistening night sky. But Jean didn't need the stars, or the night sky, or anything other than Marco. All he ever needed was this moment right here, to lay in his arms and listen to his beating heart.

He still needed to figure out how to get Marco back home, to get both of them back home and away from this strange country called Marley. And that creepy woman... But after so much grief, and so long separated, all he wanted to do was savor the moment between them. Marco was alive, and that's what mattered to him. So, he closed his eyes, and purred to the soothing thrum of Marco's heart.

A cold wind blew, and Marco shivered slightly. He pulled Jean tighter, his whiskers tickling Jean's face. He shifted slightly, his heart starting to beat faster, like he was suddenly anxious.

"Do you believe in fate?" He asked suddenly.

Jean thought about it. Had Marco asked him that before all of this, his answer would've been quick and easy.

No, his didn't used to believe in such a thing. It was a fairy tale, something people tell themselves to feel better about the shitty world they all lived in.

But now…

The words of that mysterious woman from his fevered dreams kept ringing in his head. She said they were bound together, showed him the scene of Marco's birth, and told him to fight for his love. It had given him the strength he needed to track Marco down, but… was it fate? Was Jean simply destined to be with Marco, the forces of the universe conspiring together to ensure they ended up together. He liked to believe he had some sort of autonomy, that people chose and made their own decisions.

But maybe the world is more complicated than blacks and whites.

He thought about what that woman, Lara Tybur, said when Marco somehow managed to transform to protect him. She'd halted her attack, saying something about a bond.

"I think it's more complicated than that." Jean said, reaching up to brush Marco's whiskers with the tips of his fingers. "Maybe there's an invisible guiding line that helps us find our way, but I think it's ultimately up to us to fight for our own happiness."

Marco hummed, then abruptly pulled Jean up and kissed him.

———————————————————————————————————

Assignment: Write a 1000-3000 word paper examining an individual historical art piece or a set of historical art pieces from the Eldian Empire and discuss how they made a statement about a cultural issue. Cite a minimum of 3 sources. Due at the beginning of class on November 19.

Agapito Aguglioni

November 18, 849

Liberio University

Class HIST-245-01

— Horse and Hound- Homosexual or Not? —

Ever since the vile scriptures of the Eldian religion were first written around the year -1000, scholars both Eldian and not have argued about the exact nature of the relationship between the Eldian gods “Horse” and “Hound.” Some insisted that the two were very close friends (1). However, many others were certain that their bond was romantic (2). The scriptures themselves are very ambiguous on this topic, and can be interpreted either way with ease (3). However, it cannot be denied that Horse and Hound loved each other deeply, regardless of how that love is defined (1, 2). In this essay, two recently discovered pieces of religious art from the -200s depicting Horse and Hound will be analyzed to explore how Eldians thought of their relationship in the -200s (4).

First, a quick background. The Eldian religion is based on and centered around a central canon of scriptures split into two books: the Book of Prose, and the Book of Poems (5). The former contains what Eldians believed was the history of the universe, and how their false gods created it and lived in it (3, 5). The latter contains a collection of poems about the Eldian gods and other mythological figures mentioned in the Book of Prose (3, 5). Eldians then spent the next 1800 years or so after these scriptures were originally written debating about the details and implied meanings of these texts, which included how exactly the gods viewed each other and what their relationships were like (1, 2). These arguments were not viewed as a form of impiety towards the gods (1, 2). Instead, they were seen as a sacred act that allowed them to better connect with the gods (1, 2). One of the fiercest debates about a divine relationship among Eldians that has endured for as long as the scriptures have is about the relationship between the Eldian gods Horse and Hound (1, 2).

Horse is primarily the Eldian god of horses, art, and oaths (5). He is sometimes also given the domains of grief and conflict (5). Though originally depicted as a species of wild horse, by the -200s he had been consistently depicted as a domestic horse for centuries (5). His most major roles in the story told in the Book of Prose include helping to create the universe, a friendly rivalry with the god Hawk, a supporting role in aiding the god Otter with his plans, a close and loving relationship with the god Hound, fighting in many battles during the Age of Betrayal (including the infamous Battle of Heaven and Earth), being the second of three individuals to decapitate Hawk, and implied marriages with both the goddess Leopard and the gods Yellow Ox and Golden Ox (3, 5). He was generally considered to be one of the less dangerous Eldian gods to get in contact with, though of course still very dangerous if angered (5).

Hound is primarily the Eldian god of the home, families, kindness, fertility, and domestic dogs (5). He is also often described as a god of the spring season, but not always, and he is always depicted as a domestic dog (5). His most major role in the story told in the Book of Prose, aside from also helping to create the universe, is being the first of the gods to return to the Other Side through dying (3, 5). He was fed to wild beasts by Yellow Ox, Ram, and Cat in an act of murder when he overheard their plans to betray the other gods by feeding them to their human masters (3). He was generally considered to be the least dangerous Eldian god to get in contact with (5). However, though he almost never punished humans himself, he would often complain about disrespectful humans to Horse, who punished those humans for Hound (5).

The first of the religious art that will be discussed in this essay is a scrap of parchment painted with natural paints (4). It depicts the funeral of Hound after Horse discovered his half-eaten corpse (4). The fire in the background is from Hound’s funeral pyre, which Hound’s corpse burns upon (4). In the foreground, Horse kneels in tears before Hound’s spirit, who is visiting from the Other Side to speak to Horse as a ghost (4). At this very moment, Horse swears an oath to Hound, which has remained a very frustrating mystery to scholars ever since the scriptures were first written (3, 4). The wording of the oath is never stated in the scriptures (3, 5). The topic is never stated either (3, 5). All that is mentioned are the effects of this oath, which include “changing the future,” “saving countless lives and causing countless deaths,” “pleasing the Time Serpent,” and most importantly, motivating Horse to fight against the traitorous gods, the humans who sent them to the gods’ kingdom of Paradise, and eventually even his own friend Hawk to save humanity (3).

It is entirely possible to view this scene as platonic. After all, Horse is never explicitly stated to desire Hound romantically, nor the same for Hound towards Horse (3). But it is important to note that despite always being considered the god of oaths, this is the only oath Horse makes in the scriptures (3). All other oaths he makes in Eldian mythology come from later myths whose legitimacy were often questioned by Eldians themselves (5). When his former friend Ram is devoured by Otter, Horse weeps, but he does not make an oath (3). When Fox is shot and killed by her chosen human champion, again Horse weeps, but no oath is made (3). And so on and so forth, with all of the other deaths that occur among the gods before Horse’s own (3). This implies that Horse and Hound were particularly close, with a special bond that was never replicated fully with anyone else.

As this art was made in the -200s, the scriptures clearly remained important to the (almost certainly Eldian) artist as a basis for depicting their gods. Unfortunately, this means that there is not much that can be gleaned from this art about Horse and Hound’s relationship that cannot also be gleaned from the scriptures themselves. And due to the scriptures’ ambiguity, the views of the artist on their relationship remain equally ambiguous when only looking at this piece.

The second of the religious art that will be discussed in this essay is also a scrap of parchment painted with natural paints (4). However, this one is not based on a scene from the scriptures. Instead, it depicts Horse and Hound facing each other, with both of their hearts bound together via string connecting arrows pierced into the organs. Hound has one paw resting on a human skull missing its right half (4). As this is not a scene from the scriptures, it must be an interpretation of the gods and their relationship from a later time. Most likely the -200s due to the age of the parchment (4). This piece is more damaged than the other that was previously discussed (4). It also has an identical art style to the previous piece (4).

What does this scene mean? To understand this, one must understand more of the cultural context this art was made in. One of the other Eldian gods is Dove (5). She is primarily worshipped by Eldians as a goddess of love, with additional main domains of wealth and prophecy (5). Many myths, including the scriptures, tell of how she fires arrows of love into the hearts of gods and mortals alike to make them fall in romantic love with others (5). With this taken into account, this scene is most likely depicting Horse and Hound being in romantic love with each other through the arrows Dove fired into their hearts, binding their souls together for eternity. The meaning of the damaged skull under Hound’s paw is not completely clear in this piece, but it has been used in many other historical depictions of Hound, primarily as a symbol of his death, so this may be the case here (5).

More AOT Cat AU!

Marco is a shorthaired midnight charcoal rosetted tabby with curl ears, because it means I can give Marco his freckles AND have them on a background that’s black like his hair while still being genetically possible. And the curl ears are because I think they’re cute and Marco is also cute <3

Jean is actually a chimera, though you probably wouldn’t notice it unless you knew what to look for! He’s primarily a longhaired black-based mink colorpoint, but the twin he absorbed was a shorthaired solid chocolate. The twin’s fur only really appears in one small patch, which gave Jean his famous nickname. He also lost a bit of his ear from a particularly fierce fight with Eren.