"Hey Jean, what's the thing you wanted to do the most once you've become a military police?"

Marco's question made Jean glanced down at the bowl of soup and a piece of bread in front of his eyes, their lunch for the day. In all honesty, those wouldn't even fit to be called as food. The soup was merely turnip and potato in boiled water whereas the bread was dry and hard, not at all palatable. They were only eating it to sustain all the heavy trainings they were going through.

"I'm going to work my ass off and then spend all my salary on food. Roasted corn. Steamed fish. Properly cooked stew and soup. Not like this one," he almost spilled half of the content in the bowl when he threw his spoon in protest. Everybody else on the table and in the canteen was too hungry, too focused on their meal to care about another one of Jean's tantrums. It was Marco's quick reflex that had kept the bowl balanced and placed rightfully like how it should be.

"Careful Jean, don't let it go to waste," mumbled Marco as he picked up the spoon and handed it to Jean. He glared at the raven-haired trainee, waiting for him to back down, or start a shouting competition like what he would do with Eren on daily basis. But he knew it was useless. Jean's glare never worked against Marco, of which he always fends it off with a smile. Jean took the spoon and started to stir the soup, trying to pit the two chunks of turnip and potato against each other.

"And god, beef steak. Thick, juicy piece of meat roasted to perfection. I would sell my soul to have it," Jean's eyes lit up, he continued to rattle off his wildest fantasy to one person that had been attentively listening to him.

Marco snickered. He had a good laugh for quite a sum of time until he was breathless. Jean finished his soup and bread in the meantime, annoyed of waiting for it to cease. But he did get used to it, to Marco's laughter. Sometimes it made Jean feel like there was still hope for joy in this dark and gloomy world.

"Here I thought you would get yourself a girlfriend and have a lavish wedding inside the wall and live happily ever after. Well, as lavish as it could get in there anyway," grinned Marco, trying to finish his food as well. "No one would ever guess that all you're lusting is a grilled piece of meat. But beef steak. Ah it'd be nice to have it."

"Well, I want that as well, but – " Jean scratched his cheek, tinted with rosy color, but a split second later abruptly slamming the table hard, making a few other trainees startled. "Wait! Are you mocking me?"

"What – no! I'm not. I swear. " Marco crossed his heart with all seriousness. "I'm sorry if that offended you."

Exhaling loudly, Jean leaned back on his chair and folded his arms in front of his chest. "Good, otherwise you will never get to have a taste of that perfect juicy beef covered in barbeque sauce."

"You're going to let me have a bite?"

A broad grin plastered on Jean's face, stretching from one end to another with sincerity beaming all over.

"What's the meaning of having good food if you don't have somebody to share it with?"

.

…

…

"….and as a token of appreciation for joining the reconquering division, we treat you lads with the best thing we could get," the voice of Chief Erwin at the head of the table rung in Jean's head, struck his trail of thought and brought him back to where he is supposed to be. The present. "Please, enjoy your meal tonight before we head out beyond the wall tomorrow."

Jean could feel Connie lightly elbowing his has his hands poised, ready to dig in. He could also feel something stinging his eyes and the hollow part of his body where his heart used to be pricking, as though it is stabbed over and over again.

"What's wrong Jean? too happy to eat a beef steak that you're crying?"

.

END

A/N : Thanks for reading! Reviews are extremely welcomed :)