In Another Life (EreJean)

fifteen

Chapter summary: Jean ends up in a universe he doesn't want to be in.

Jean slams the locket shut. He tries to forget what he just saw. The words he just read.

It doesn't work. Eren's heartbroken expression, his deparate pleas for Jean to not abandon him replays in his head. Eren was completely blindsided. How could he not be? If his actions today are any indication, he and the Jean from this world have a near perfect relationship.

Well, had.

His alternate self probably would've loved this stupid locket. It's gaudy, sappy, and way over the top. A perfect gift for a pair of dramatic teenagers that swear they'll be together forever.

Jean did them a favor. He may have gone about it the wrong way, but a relationship between him and Eren never would've worked out in the long run. They're too fundamentally different. Once those early relationship jitters wore down, Eren would've opened his eyes and realized the same thing. Jean just beat him to it.

"That's a nice necklace," Pixis says. "Where'd you get that?"

Jean sneers at him. "Like you don't know."

Locket in one hand and box in the other, Jean spins on his heel. Tonight is more disastrous than he anticipated, and that's saying something. Right now, he wants to go home, climb in bed, and count down the hours until he wakes up somewhere else and can pretend his trip to this universe never happened.

"Where are you going?" Pixis calls out.

Jean looks over his shoulder. "Home," he answers coolly. His rage from earlier rises back to the surface as he picks up speed.

When he faces forward, he notices the ladder a second too late. His forehead collides with the metal, the clang from them connecting ringing in his ears.

Jean falls to the cold cement. Locals pay no mind and walk around him. This is a strange universe, and not just because people seemingly leave unoccupied ladders in the middle of the sidewalk at night.

Still, Jean feels reminiscent of the last time he ended up like this. The first instance started due to a fight with Eren, and here he is again after another fight with Eren. This one wasn't as much of a fight as it was Jean berating Eren and Eren just taking it, but Jean still counts it.

His grip around the locket loosens, but he doesn't let go. Jean's vision fades before his sense of touch does. As he slips out of consciousness, he positions his knuckles against the pavement so the silver strawberry can still rest comfortably in his palm.

*

Jean wakes up in the same bed as yesterday, only this time without Eren. For that, he considers this a win. But he's puzzled as to why he isn't somewhere else.

He's not even sure how he got home after the ladder incident. If his head weren't on fire, he would've thought he dreamt the whole thing.

Maybe Pixis carried him back and explained to Vera what happened. Jean hopes not. He'll never live down the shame.

Speaking of shame, if this is still the same universe, then his friends are likely still pissed at him. Perhaps that's why he's here another day, to make things right with them. From how furious Marco was, it won't be easy. It'll be even harder with this massive headache. If Jean's stuck in this universe until he rights his wrongs, then surely he can take the day to rest and work on repairing his friendships tomorrow. That shouldn't harm anyone.

He rolls out of bed to check on Vera. She's at the round dining table, still in her pajamas. She sets out napkins and utensils for two, pausing when she notices Jean emerging from his bedroom.