Believer ~Jean x Reader AU~

Chapter 28: Wolf in Sheep's Clothes

"A reason to attack early?" I repeated, slightly feeling numb.

Both Jean and Marco brought their gazes to me. I was baffled. It made no sense. I couldn't figure out why the perpetrator would need a reason to attack before the sun went down. I just figured if the guy was crazy enough, then time played no part. Then again, they did have a point. In the cover of night, he had a higher chance of not being caught or running into obstacles regarding bystanders. So, why was he getting ballsy?

"Yeah," Marco answered. "Think about it. It's starting to get dark at a later hour, meaning the sun is going to start being up longer."

"On top of that, MRU has enforced that new curfew," Jean added. "If you think about it, it's almost like whoever's responsible knows about the gates being closed during those hours."

"And, did you notice the victims?" Marco, asked, glancing between both Jean and I. "They're all members of SOA. Now, isn't that too much a coincidence? The timing? The targeted victims? Too fishy to me."

He had a very good point. The fact that all the attacks were on sorority girls was too much of a coincidence to be dismissed. I mean, one girl, okay. Two, a little concerning. Three, that was a pattern. Not to mention the fact that he even targeted Alexandra, the SOA president told us that he wasn't just aiming for random college girls. There was definitely something up.

I bit down on my bottom lip and balled my hands into fists, swallowing, "So, are you saying that there's a very high chance that the creep responsible for all this is familiar with MRU?"

"More than that," Jean said, bringing his stare to me. "I'd go as far as to say they're a student."

"That's what I was thinking," Marco agreed, nodding at Jean. "No outsider who didn't get the email would know about the gates and curfew. Nor would they know which girls are apart of SOA and which weren't."

I hated to think about the possibility of a criminal roaming MRU's campus freely, their cold stare most likely scoping out who would be their next target. It all made my skin crawl. It was disgusting to think about, really. I mean, my safety really and truly was being tested, though I wasn't a member of SOA. So, that should have given me a peace of mind...but it didn't.

"Hey," I mumbled, meeting each of their gazes. "I just remembered something."

"Hmm?" Jean hummed, meeting my gape. "What would that be?"

I clenched my jaw before continuing, "Back a few months ago before the first attack...I was walking back to campus after doing some shopping and...and I heard someone behind me." I dropped my eyes. "At first, I didn't think much of it, but when they kept pace with me, I did start to panic a little. I didn't know what they had planned, but I knew it was nothing good."

"Whoa. Seriously?" Marco gasped. "Wait, were you the girl Eren was with that night?"

"Jaeger?" Jean asked, turning to his friend.

Marco nodded, "Yeah. That night during the ADA party he had been sent out to get some beer. On the way back, he came across a girl being followed."

"Oh! I remember that now," Jean replied. "We were talking about that at the café that one day."

"Mmmhmm," Marco confirmed. He turned to me. "If I remember correctly, you were there on that day too." A warm smile lifted the corners of his lips as he chuckled, "Looks like all our paths were meant to cross from the start."

"Ha," I laughed halfheartedly, scratching the back of my neck. "Yeah. It's almost like someone wrote it that way, huh?"

I once more returned my stare to the ground. I didn't know what else to say. I mean, what more could I say? I was in shock. I didn't want to believe any of it. I didn't want to think that the creep was on campus right at that moment.

"That raises another question, then," Jean sighed. "If he's been targeting SOA girls all this time, then why did he start with Y/N? Why did he follow her? And had Eren not been there that night, would he have done the same to her as the other girls?"

"Good question," Marco said, glancing down. "All I can think is that he was familiar with Y/N. Maybe he knew she was a loner, so it would have been easier to attack her." I swallowed as he continued, "But he never expected Eren to show up and save the day." He crossed his arms over his chest and glanced to the ceiling. "Honestly, I think he might have planned to use her as a warm-up that night and lost his patience before he got the chance to get her again."

I began to feel dizzy. Hypothetical or not, it was a sickening feeling to even imagine myself being another report on the news. Just the idea of ending up like Marianne or Evangeline made my body go numb. I honestly thought I was going to throw up.

"I need to sit down," I announced weakly, holding my palm to my head.

"What's wrong?" Jean asked, hurrying to me.

"Are you okay?" Marco called from his bed.

I nodded, "I'm fine, just a little lightheaded."

Jean reached me, taking hold of my arm. To my surprise, a wave of chills darted through me, almost hitching my breath. His touch was still so gentle, making me feel safe and secured. But along with that sense of security came another more complicated feeling. I couldn't explain it, but my dizziness did worsen, causing me to lose my footing a little. I began to stumble but was caught by Jean, causing me to land in his arms, his body pressing against mine.

My face made contact with his chest, allowing me to catch a whiff of him. He smelled so nice -heavenly, even. His scent was sweet and clean and his body heat was so warm. It should have alarmed me at how comfortable I felt with him, but it didn't. I was at ease, like what we were just discussing didn't just make my head spin.

"Oh, yeah. You seem just fine to me," Jean remarked sarcastically. "Come on. You need to sit down."

I didn't resist. I just let him walk me over to one of the chairs provided by the hospital. He helped me slide into it, all the while he kept a stern hold on me to assure I didn't tumble down.

"Are you okay?" he asked, those warm orbs peering into me. "Do you need a doctor?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine. It's just...thinking about what could have been...it got to me." I flashed a fake smile and waved my hands dismissively. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Besides, we're here for Marco, remember?"

He examined me quickly before sighing, "Okay. If you say so." He stood straight up and turned to Marco, adding, "So, the guy. Was there anything that stood out about him? Tattoos, piercings, birthmark?"

Marco shrugged, "I wouldn't know. Along with the mask, he was wearing a hoodie. But he was pretty tall."

Jean breathed in a haggard breath and sighed, "Well, hopefully, a guy with a blood-soaked hoodie will turn up at one of the hospitals soon."

**Bello my lovelies. This chapter kinda wrote itself. Made it pretty easy to get it out. That said, sorry if it's still kinda hairy. My eye is still giving me issues. Still, I'm not giving up! You all deserve decent content. It's the least I can do for all your support. You guys are absolutely amazing. Never let anyone tell y'all otherwise. Thank you so much for everything! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross

P.S. "Play it Cool" by Monsta X featuring Steve Aoki. 💗