Key to a Caged Heart

Two

Eren froze with his hand on the doorknob upon finding his door unlocked. Either Jean forgot to lock it when he left (which was unlikely because Jean wasn't forgetful), or Jean was in the room (which was also unlikely because Jean was hardly ever in their room unless it was to sleep).

On a typical Saturday, Jean was out doing whatever it was people who have their lives together do in their free time. Eren wasn't sure what those things were, not being one of those people. A typical Saturday for Eren was spent staring blankly at a textbook, trying to study information he didn't care about for a test that snuck up on him like an actor at a haunted house and scaring him just as badly.

But Eren wanted to get his life together, so as he pocketed his key and opened the door to their room, he promised himself he wouldn't postpone the conversation Hanji encouraged him to have with Jean.

Jean was seated on his bed, his back against the wall and legs outstretched to act as a table to his laptop, which he was typing away on. Eren loudly cleared his throat, drawing Jean's attention to him.

"Hey, Jean, I've noticed you're really good at managing your classes, relationship, and basketball. Can you tell me how you do it?"

Jean stared at him. Eren stared back. Seconds passed in silence.

Jean set his laptop aside and pulled his legs in, folding them beneath him. The new sitting position made Jean appear more settled and attentive, calming Eren's nerves which had sprouted in the silence.

"Disregarding how rehearsed that sounded, sure. You wanna move out of the doorway first?"

At the reminder that he was in fact standing in their doorway, Eren glanced down the hallway. A floormate stood watching him, a towel slung around their neck. They must have been returning from the showers when they overheard Eren's embarrassing, robotic entreaty for advice.

They nodded at Eren in greeting and, awkwardly, Eren nodded back. Just before they entered their room, they gave Eren a shy smile and a thumbs up. The interaction lasted only a few seconds, but afterwards Eren felt uplifted by the stranger's encouragement. Eren entered his room with renewed purpose, mindful to shut the door behind him to keep the rest of his and Jean's conversation private.

"You want to know how I'm finding time for everything?" Jean asked, seeking confirmation that he understood what Eren wanted to know. Eren nodded and crossed the room to sit on his bed.

"Well, the solution I found is to multitask," Jean began. "I have to eat, so that's when Marco and I have our 'dates.' And when our schedules don't match up and I'm eating alone, I review my class notes. That reduces the time after basketball practice I need to spend studying. When I need a break from studying and want to watch T.V., I try to plan it so I'm also folding my laundry or getting other mindless tasks done."

"Easy as that?" Eren said, doubtful that multitasking would solve all his problems.

Jean shrugged.

"I'm still busy, but I'm not as stressed as I would be otherwise."

Eren considered it. He felt like he never had time to catch up with his friends, unable to justify it when he had tests to study for. But he could always text them as he walked to class or sat on the toilet.

Speaking of friends...

"Is something else bothering you?"

It was both appreciated and disconcerting how well Jean was able to read him. Eren nibbled his lip as he contemplated how many of his problems he wanted to share today.

Ah, fuck it. He'll continue to trust in the magic of friendship to help him.

"I feel like Armin and I are drifting apart," Eren admitted, lowering his eyes to the edge of Jean's bed. "He's made a bunch of new friends, which is great, but it also sucks because now he doesn't have time to hang out with me. Or maybe he doesn't want to hang out with me. He has more choices for friends here than he did in Shiganshina, so why would he stick around me when he can hang out with people as smart as him who care about the same things he does?"