Key to a Caged Heart

Bulletproof Weeks

A/N: Since Hajime Isayama does not gender Hanji, I also left the gender out and used they/theirs. It might be confusing to read because we don't have a gender neutral term in English to use but it is important to recognize and respect different gender identities. So what I'm saying is I'm sorry if it's confusing, but I'm not sorry for my decision to write this way.

"Thanks, Shitty-glasses. If he screws up, just kick him."

"Levi! He's a boy, not a dog!" The person reached a hand out to shake with Eren's.

"I'm Hanji. I look forward to working with you, Eren. Let me know if this shorty gives you any problems."

"Tch, I'm not even that short, I'm 5'10"." Hanji ignored this, completely focused on Eren. Eren squirmed under their intense gaze.

"I'm going to warm up. I'll meet you back here after the show." Levi didn't bother to get an affirmation from Eren before walking off towards the dressing rooms.

"So, what am I supposed to do?"

Somehow Levi had gotten him a job at The Underground, the club where his band Special Operations Squad performed on weekend nights. He was introduced to Hanji, the DJ, and told that he would be helping them.

Despite not knowing how to work the equipment and never having had a job before, Eren was determined to do his best. Not because he didn't want to disappoint Levi, of course. Just because a guy helps you out of jail, washes your clothes, and cooks you delicious pancakes is not cause enough for Eren to give a damn what Levi thinks of him. He was going to work hard because he didn't want to be a hindrance to Hanji. Yeah, let's go with that.

"Well, this job doesn't require two people but you are too young to work at the bar or as a bodyguard, so you'll be my errand boy, running and getting the new discs I need and maybe relaying messages between me and the band or with other workers. Easy as pie. Levi alphabetized the discs for me a while back so they will be easy to find in those cabinets back there." Hanji pointed behind them to a row of cabinets, each labeled with letters and numbers.

"I'll call out a code and you get me the matching disc. Simple as that. So to start, get me E5 and D2." Eren walked over to the cabinets and found the discs in less than a minute. Levi had done a good job of making things effortless to find, for which he was grateful.

"Thanks, Eren." After placing the discs on the DJ board and pressing a few buttons, they started to spin and Hanji sat back, watching the crowd.

"Don't you have to spin them yourself or something?" Eren was confused why the DJ was just playing discs like they were CD's.

"Haha, no. I recorded a lot of my mixes beforehand, so I can just play them. It's great, right? Now I can focus my attention on observing the behavior of the clubgoers. They are really fascinating creatures!"

Creatures? Eren thought. What kind of person did Levi leave me with?

"I actually keep a journal of my findings," Hanji continued, oblivious to the slight trepidation arising in her new colleague. Hanji's eyes were lit up with passion as they started telling Eren about the strange behavior they had witnessed during their time as a DJ. Using their observation skills and knowledge of human behavior, Hanji and Erwin, the owner of the club, often placed bets on who was most likely to get kicked out for sneaking backstage to see the band or starting a drunken fight.

"One time, I noticed a shifty looking woman who was eyeing Levi. I thought for sure she was going to ask him out, so I got out my binoculars," they patted their cargo pants, where sure enough a binocular shaped bulge could be seen, "and I waited to see if she was brave enough to approach him after the show."