ONE ʙʏ ONE

ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ-ᴇɪɢʜᴛ

Hange explained everything to Jean about how dangerous Levi was, and it took a lot of convincing for him to understand. Jean had his parent check him out against the doctor's recommendations, and they trusted him enough not to divulge too much. They just made him promise to be safe and check in with them every day. Jean left the hospital with Hange and her group towards the base. Once they parked their van safely, they trekked into the woods.

"So, if what you're saying is true, then shouldn't you guys be getting Eren?" Jean worried, leaning on Connie for support.

Hange assured, "Eren is safe at the base already, though he is a bit fragile, so perhaps we should make any loud noises or act aggressively."

Just as Hange finished her sentence, low growls sounded. Two threatening dogs pounced into view, but seeing Hange, they immediately became excited and ran up to her.

"Hello, Sonny! Hello, Bean!" Hange greeted, kneeling to pet her hounds. "How are my mutts? Did you miss me?"

Connie and Zeke smiled and crouched down to greet the canines, who happily jumped on them for affection. Jean chuckled and held the back of his hand out. Sonny came close and cautiously sniffing the boy's hand before nuzzling his face into Jean's palm.

"Vicious, aren't they?" Jean teased.

Hange shrugged, "They protect my lab when I'm gone. Sonny and Bean are my guard dogs."

The group made their way inside and started to relax. Eren appeared from the bedroom, half asleep and still somewhat empty; however, when his eyes fell on Jean, the corners of his mouth tugged into a weary smile. Jean returned the gesture.

"How are you doing...after everything?" Jean asked, his tone soft.

Eren laughed, "You're asking me how I'm doing? You were the one in the hospital."

Jean chuckled and gave Eren a friendly hug. Eren felt his senses return, tears brimming on his waterline. Connie and Zeke smiled and were happy to see Eren feeling safe. Hange, on the other hand, let out a frustrated sigh.

"Sorry to interrupt," Hange cut in, "but, Eren, can we have a private chat real quick?"

The teen hesitantly let Jean go and followed the girl to the kitchen. Once the two were inside, Hange closed the door and looked towards Eren expectantly. Eren furrowed his brow in confusion, silently asking what she needed.

"I, uh, saw a few things moved around." Hange insinuated, crossing her arms. Eren tried to play dumb, but the girl didn't have it. "You know, there was a specifically placed chair in front of a specific door. Ring any bells?"

"What about it?" Eren shrugged, leaning his back against the sink and mimicking Hange's arms.

"He's not gone, is he?"

Eren shook his head, "Nope."

Hange nodded awkwardly, trying to read Eren's thoughts, but his voice seemed more relaxed than she could believe. She ticked her tongue to kill the weird pause between them. 

"So, do we need to chat about it?" She wondered, pressing her lips together.

Eren chuckled, "Only if you need to."

Another silence followed. 

"Okay, good talk." Hange huffed out before leaving the kitchen to join the others.

Eren knew Erwin would force him back to Levi if he got out, so if it meant staying away from the psycho teen, he was willing to kidnap a guy for a while. He smiled to himself, thinking about what his mother would think of him at that moment. Actually, he had spoken to his mother in a while, and she hadn't attempted to reach him either.

Eren returned to the main area where the rest of the group was, and to his surprise, Marco was there, out of breath and clearly distressed. He tried talking in sporadic words, but it wasn't easy to understand. 

"Library...Armin...Levi!" The teen wheezed, plopping down on a nearby chair. 

Jean quickly went to help his friend calm down, guiding him to take slow breaths. Eren watched from the door of the kitchen nervously. 

"W-What about Levi?" Eren fretted. "What did he do?"

It took Marco a minute to elaborate, "Levi...killed someone."

The blood drained from Eren's face as Levi's face flashed in the back of his mind. The memory of sleeping next to him, driving in the same car, letting him bandage his arm. All eyes fell on Eren, worried about how he would react to hearing what Levi did. Eren's legs began to tremble as he reached up and felt the faint bite mark Levi had left on him. Suddenly, all of Levi's words hit him like a truck.

"Eren!" Jean called out as Eren's legs gave out from under him. The teen hit the floor and was out cold. 

Hange sighed and went to retrieve some cold water while everyone else crowded him. When she came back, she shooed every back and kneeled to the boy. She tipped the glass, and the freezing water splashed over Eren's face, waking him up immediately.

"Jeez, if you keep dropping like that, I'm gonna have to put a helmet on you." Hange exasperated, setting the glass on the floor next to him.

Eren coughed a few times before Connie and Zeke helped him up and carried him to the bedroom. They laid the weak teen carefully and took a few steps back to let him get some air. Hange, Jean, and Marco followed them, each concerned for Eren's mental health. 

"Hange," Marco said, "we have to cancel the party."

Hange hushed, "Woah, Woah, Woah. Let's take a step back."

The freckled kid shared a glance with Jean nervously. The girl continued, "I'm not going to ruin one of the best business opportunities for that jackass. There are going to be over fifty kids at that party, and almost all of them are going to be dying for alcohol and other illegal things."

"But Hange," Jean argued. 

Hange huffed, "I can supply us with weapons, and I happen to know a couple of guys that can watch the front door. Not to mention, Sonny and Bean will be there too! Trust me, that dirtbag isn't going to get in."

"Levi isn't going to control this girl anymore."

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Who's ready to party? It's probably not going to be in the next chapter, but maybe the one after the next. What do you guys think will happen???

Toodles~