In Another Life (EreJean)

nine

Chapter summary: Jean's phone is a key ingredient to learning about his alternate self.

The glimmer of hope in Jean's miserable day occurs in the evening, the stresses of school and Eren behind him. Through Vera's assistance, he is introduced to two new loves: pizza and television.

Dinner takes place on the living room couch. Jean sits cross legged as he and Vera binge cartoons that he is too mesmerized by to blink. As he scarfs down his fifth slice, he reaches for the large pizza box on the accent table to steal his sixth.

Vera chuckles. "I would've ordered another pie if I knew you were going to be this hungry." She sets down her plate and wipes her mouth with a napkin. "You must be due for another growth spurt."

Jean gives a half smile. "Maybe."

It's not a baseless assumption. Jean's father was quite tall. He used to cup his chin over Vera's head when they hugged, which Jean always found sort of sweet. But that's not the reason for Jean's increased appetite.

Truthfully, he can easily devour a second pie if presented with one. With each bite, it dawns on him how much he's missing out on. While he's not unfamiliar with bread, cheese, or tomato, never has he had the pleasure of the harmonious blend of all three. This universe must have hundreds of dishes of the same mouth watering quality. Maybe thousands. Now that he's had a taste, Jean wishes to eat until he makes himself sick. Because once he returns home, all this will be stripped away from him.

If he returns home.

The uncertainty gnaws at him. The program on TV about a ragtag team and a talking dog solving mysteries together is creative and entertaining, but Jean zones out. This is better than he could ever ask for: great food, inventions he's never dreamed of, and quality time with his mom. But no matter its upsides, this is not where Jean belongs. This world belongs to a different Jean.

He reserves a bit of envy for his alternate self. To know that Jean and his friends endured monumental amounts of trauma in their teenage years while their alternate counterparts are free from all of that makes him want to punch something.

But his loved ones, the ones he cherishes over anyone else, are back home waiting for him. If that dream is any indication, his original body is probably unconscious in a hospital right now. The longer he stumbles into lives that aren't his own, the longer his mom and comrades will worry that he'll never wake up.

Not to mention the whole Eren ordeal.

"Is everything okay?" Vera asks. "You seem troubled."

Jean swallows a large portion of his slice and places his plate next to hers. "I don't know anymore."

"Is it a girl?"

"What?" he blurts out. "No." It's not a lie, technically, but his pulse races anyway.

Vera hums to herself. "Just a thought. Is there any way I can help?"

"That's okay, Ma. Thank you."

They turn back to the TV. Characters break into a dance sequence as they're chased by a masked monster. It makes little sense to Jean, but Vera is fully immersed.

He pulls his phone from his pocket. Little by little, he's been learning the mechanics. The home page has too many icons, so he focuses on the one that pulls up his text messages, the one Eren showed him earlier.

As it turns out, Jean texts a lot of people, sometimes multiple at once. One of the most active conversations is one he shares with Marco, Connie, and Sasha. Jean can't follow completely since his friends often use weird words he doesn't know (some without vowels?), but he tries his best.