a/n: I'm never safe from the snk bug at any given time and this story just kind of escaped my hands before I could stop? Two chapters long, both written. Following story in the works (Schemata) which is also complete. Enjoy!
Disclosure
i: silence
Jean has heard the rumors. There's some hard-headed kid in the Unpredictable class that keeps starting arguments in all of his classes and getting into fights after school. Whispers fly about the kid's family life being a wreck, and they say his grades are even worse. Despite all this, he's never heard anything about the kid's power.
At a school like this, it can mean one of two things: either Eren Jaeger's power is so insignificant that it isn't worth discussing; or, it's a game-changer, and the school officials are keeping it hush-hush.
While the sandy-haired youth wouldn't bet money on his choice, he's inclined towards the second option.
/ /
The first time they sort of meet is by brushing shoulders in the hallway between classes. Eren jumps back as if burned after they collide, mutters something while glaring, and rushes off. Jean scowls and picks up his papers.
The next time they meet—properly—is the next morning. Eren's head instructor pushes the brunette in front of him with a dark scowl. "Look at this kid. Fucking mess."
As Jean surveys the brunette's impressive collection of bruises and scratches, he finds that he agrees, but he's more startled to hear an instructor use such language. "Er, yes, that's true, sir."
Slamming a hand down on Eren's hair, the shorter male speaks sharply again. "I need someone his age to look after him."
The teen's eyes narrow and he snarls. "Professor Levi, I don't want to—!"
Levi promptly kicks his student in the back of the knees and hardly blinks as the brunette wheezes on the floor. Jean stares in blank shock, absently grateful for having a laid-back head instructor. "Oy. What class were you in again?"
Jean is torn between frustration at how long this is taking, and being scared for his life. The second feeling makes him answer. "Passive abilities, sir."
"Control level?"
"Eight, last examination." Levi whistles. Even Eren looks up, surprised at the impressive score. Momentarily, the sandy-haired teen preens, then the dark-eyed instructor levels his gaze and Jean snaps his back straight.
"See? You can learn a thing or two from your peers, Eren."
Eren is indignant, nearly grabbing his instructor's collar. Jean is starting to see why the two of them have been placed together in the Unpredictable class bracket. "I have control—"
"You have control seventeen percent of the time, brat. That's nothing." Levi does pull Eren's shirt, snarling at him. "Erwin's methods and mine aren't working, so I'm trying an alternate method. Be grateful I'm not kicking your sorry ass out of school."
Jean starts. Before his mouth can catch up, he blurts, "Excuse me, what?"
Levi jerks his thumb at them one at a time. "You. Hang out with him. See if his power comes out, but don't let him kill you. Got it?"
"Hell no!" He grows frustrated aloud at last. "Why would I do something so dangerous for no reason? I don't even know him."
"Is that your excuse?" The instructor glares and Jean wilts a bit. He pushes the scowling, blue-green eyed mess of teen in front, grabbing Eren by the hair and dodging when his pupil brings his leg back to try and kick his teacher in the crotch. "Kid, meet Eren Jaeger. The rest, the two of you can figure out. Good luck." With that, Levi sidles away and Eren stands there, glaring.
Jean scowls back. "What? I'm not gonna babysit you. Go to class or something."
Eren fumes. "I don't have class. That's why Professor Levi brought me here. Why do you have such an attitude? I don't even know you, remember."
Yeah, he thinks, but I've heard plenty of nasty things about you. "My name's Jean." Glancing at the clock, he curses, realizing that he's missed the rest of his history class and it's already time for lunch. "Do you have any food?"
"No."
Jean sighs. "Then let's grab something on the way to the courtyard. Maybe we can talk while we eat."
/ /
They don't talk—at all.
Eren eats quietly and stares into the distance, and Jean tries his best not to fall asleep in the break hour. This weird pattern for lunch continues for around three days. The brunette stumbles out of some weird hall in the Academy, unfailingly runs into Jean for lunch hour, and sits in silence with him. On the fourth day, Levi comes by to check on them. Once he sees Jean's annoyance and the duo's lack of progress, he glares the sandy-haired teen into submission.
He sighs and tries to start a conversation, wanting to at least end his week on a positive note. "So, why are you in the Unpredictable class?"
Eren looks at him like he's shit on the bottom of his shoe. "…It's a pretty self-descriptive class title."
Jean's eyebrow twitches. "Are you always such a pain in the ass?"
The other teen shrugs. "Probably."
"Your instructor wants us to talk, so let's talk. It doesn't have to be about your powers, but I would sure as hell appreciate getting to that soon."
Eren scowls around a mouthful of cold, greasy pizza. "I don't like your attitude."
Across the table, Jean snorts. "How do you think I feel about yours?"
The rest of the lunch period passes with both of them highly agitated and refusing to speak to each other out of spite.
/ /
Eren stumbles into his office after another fight with a shiner on his left eye and a scowl etched on his face. Levi just sighs, stands, and pours himself a fresh cup of coffee.
"I swear, you are a punishment from Satan's asshole itself."
His pupil's scowl runs deeper. "You aren't religious, sir. You've told me that before."
"Sure. But I firmly believe you came from the depths of a non-existent hell just to torture me." The man crosses his legs on the desk when he sits down and takes a long sip of his drink. "What the hell is all this about, Jaeger?"
The kid has the decency to at least look sorry. "Puberty."
"Bullshit. Real reason."
The brunette slumps into the seat in front of the desk—he's there so often, it might as well belong to him. "Nothing important."
"It's never 'nothing' with you." Levi levels his gaze at Eren and watches at the teenager's mixed emotions play across his face. "Don't be a shit with me, Eren."
Eren mumbles. "They were talking about my mom."
Levi clicks his tongue. "Don't let their shit-talking phase you. They aren't worth it."
"I know, sir." The teen looks down at his bruised, burned palms before looking back up at his instructor, nearly guilty. "I shouldn't have done anything."
After another long sip, Levi sighs. "You know I have to punish you, right?"
"Yes, sir."
After a moment of nearly comfortable silence, Levi speaks, sounding pleased with himself. "Talk to Kirschtein." Eren looks up, startled and almost angry. "Don't worry, you're also suspended for fighting for two days. You get two days to mull through your thoughts before you spill your guts."
"I don't like him." The teen stands up, seething. "I'll clean the bathrooms, do community service, or whatever else you want, but I don't want to sit around and be judged by some asshole who won't speak to me because of whatever stupid rumors he's heard."
"You want your weekends free, right?" Levi plays a dangerous card, and Eren curls his fists on the instructor's desk. "Then play along, for once in your sorry life. I'm not asking for something that hard. Do it."
Begrudgingly, Eren's fists move from the desk and fall to his sides, but his nails dig deeper into his scabbing palms as he closes his eyes and turns for the door. "Yes, sir."
/ /
After two days of Eren's absence, Jean thinks about the kid in Power Experiments class. Jean's power is hard to test because it's not exactly tangible. Then again, most teens in the Passive class are the same way, but their instructors force the possibilities out somehow.
Magnetism is the name given to Jean's power. When he was young, he had felt a strong pull to some people, and a strong repulsion from others. There had been a time in primary that he'd pushed a fellow student from the top of the slide to the other side of the playground, the repelling force between them had been so strong. The kid had cried, Jean had been horrified about the reaction, and his parents had promptly enrolled him into an institute for those with abilities.
To this day, he isn't entirely sure how the force works – he'd rather liked the classmate whose leg he had broken, and he's felt drawn to people he hates. Mostly, he doesn't like the way his power affects his judgment and his life, so he represses it. The Academy prefers the term 'control', but Jean is hardly ever in the mood to use his power.
Instructor Hannes calls him forward and asks whether he would like to briefly demonstrate his power to the class. The teen recalls that participation counts for a large portion of their grade in Experiments. Jean thinks of Eren, with his unknown power, and snorts.
No wonder he won't go to class. Jean focuses hard on undoing all his hard work, but only the slightest bit. It's been a long time since he's had full reign over his powers and he doesn't want anyone to get hurt. When a girl on the first row shifts a little closer to him despite remaining seated and a boy in the back gets pushed toward the wall, his instructor raises a hand for him to stop, jots down a few notes, and Jean represses his power yet again.
"Well done," Hannes grins and Jean sweats, exhausted. When he slumps back into his seat, he hopes that he has enough money to buy a big lunch.
/ /
Eren waits for him at their usual table in the courtyard, already eating his lunch. Without ceremony, he speaks around a mouthful of broccoli. "Fire and healing."
Jean blinks, putting his tray down. "What?"
"My powers." Jaeger opens a bottle of water and takes a swig.
The other teen snorts. "There's no history of elemental powers, or of people having two powers."
"I'm aware." Eren challenges with a glare, and Jean sighs, picking up his fork and digging into his chicken.
"You're just lying so I'll stop asking and I won't have to babysit you anymore."
A hand slams on the table and Jean nearly chokes on a mouthful of peas. "I'm not lying."
"So show me then," he challenges and Eren stands up. For a brief moment, Jean thinks he might get punched and a small part of him thinks he might deserve it.
"I can't," Eren spits, sounding disappointed with him.
Jean is annoyed at his tone. "Why not?"
When he whirls around, blue-green eyes burning with anger, Jean's mouth goes dry. "I thought you liked listening to people talk about me." No control of his power. Violent. No friends. Bad family. Dangerous. "I'm leaving."
"Wait!" Jean stops Eren, surprising both of them when he grabs the shorter male's wrist and is just surprised to find the skin of his fingers literally bubbling. Eren hisses, grabbing his hand again and making it normal.
"Don't ever touch me!" A moment after his declaration, the teen slips away.
Jean falls into his seat, his mind blank. Once he regains his senses, fingers trembling, he laughs hysterically.
/ /
When he sees Connie and Sasha in history the following day, he pulls them aside and whispers, "Have you guys ever heard about people having elemental powers?"
They share a look and shrug. "Only in fairytales, Jean," Connie shakes his head with a grin. "What, you want one? Too bad, magnet boy."
"Shut up," Jean mutters harmlessly. After a pause, Sasha blinks her big eyes at him.
"Why're you so jittery, anyways?"
"What?" He clams up, defensive. "I'm not."
Connie rolls his eyes. "Chill. We're not gonna rat you to the instructor for a little daydreaming."
Jean is full of nervous energy. It's the last day of the week, and he's not entirely sure how to act around Eren anymore. When he bursts out of class and stumbles into the courtyard, he finds the place empty and is mildly disappointed.
Even though his hand is fine now—he'd even gone to the doctor to check—he can still feel the burns under his skin.
/ /
Days pass after the incident, and Eren traps himself in self-loathing. Mikasa comes over, brushes his hair, and swears that she'll take care of anyone if he needs her to. Armin helps him stay up to date with his studies, even though Eren only listens half of the time.
The nights are cool, and he sleeps with their bodies next to him, keeping them carefully warm. Only when they are together can he stop the thumping between his ears, keep his powers under control. They leave their homes to protect him, leaving his place only to go to school, and coming back every evening. Eren would be infuriated to know their reasoning, so they make up excuses to stay and he grumbles, allowing it.
Mikasa and Armin like coming over, anyways. They are also outcasts, in a way, and when Eren is within their grasps, safe and sound, they're more relaxed, too.
/ /
Eren doesn't come to school, which means he certainly doesn't have lunch with Jean.
After the twelfth day of Eren's absence, Levi bursts into Jean's mathematics lesson on a Tuesday morning and drags him out screaming. The professor even has the gall to close the door behind them and go back to the lesson like nothing happens.
Levi punches Jean squarely in the jaw, barely blinking. Clutching his cheek with tears in his eyes, he looks up at the instructor, glaring. The man murmurs, "That's for whatever you did to keep him from showing up." Jean looks down, shaking with anger and frustration. After a pause, Levi shoves a piece of paper in his face. "This is his address. Drag him back here if you have to."
The teenager looks up with a heated gaze and asks a question he's been meaning to ask for a while. "Why me?"
"Because you're not trashy enough to make those baseless rumors worse, and you've never asked him why he's fucked in the head. Now go. I've already got permission from your instructors. Your afternoon is free."
Jean picks himself off of the floor and is surprised to see that he would run so fast to figure out what Jaeger's been up to.
/ /
The teenager at the door can hear people yelling and noises of someone bounding down the steps before Eren opens the door in a t-shirt and boxers. His hair is a mess, and crumbs are around his mouth. He slams the door closed as soon as he sees who's on the other side.
Jean pounds the door, thoroughly pissed now. "Jaeger, you shit! Open the door!"
"Technically, this is my house, and I can do whatever I want."
Mikasa yells down the steps. "Who's at the door, Eren?"
"Nobody!"
"Nobody my ass," Jean slams his fist against the door. "I just want to talk to you. I can do it through the door, but something tells me you don't want your neighbors to hear what I'm gonna say."
Armin turns around the corner and peeks out of the window. "Some guy, Mikasa. Eren isn't saying anything."
"Why?" Eren finally speaks. The two other teens slowly creep closer to him, slightly fearful and paranoid. When the tannest of the three holds up a hand, the other two try to relax a bit. "Tired of having lunch by yourself?"
Jean can't think, and blurts out the first thing on his mind, hoping it'll work. "Because I'm tired of guessing whether the rumors are true or not, and you're not a liar."
Eren opens the door, and Jean falls on the floor.
/ /
Jean isn't sure what to think, sitting in the messy kitchen with three other teenagers. He glances at the other two – they couldn't be related to Eren, they look nothing alike. There's always the possibility that they could be adopted. What pisses Jean off is how handsome all three of them are.
Eren shoves some stuff off of the table so he can put one elbow on the table and glares at Jean; the other two look wary of him, too. "So, what did you want?"
After hesitating for a moment, Jean grumbles, "To apologize."
His schoolmate snorts. "You don't sound sincere at all."
"You did kind of burn the skin off my hand."
The girl narrows her eyes at Jean before giving Eren a wilting stare. The golden-haired young man also gives the brunette a look. Holding up his hands, Eren grumbles back. "Sorry. Accident. Besides, I fixed it, too."
Jean can't help snorting. "You don't sound sorry either."
"I'm not actually that sorry," Eren says, just before one of his companions kicks him and he bends over the table, glaring at the girl. "Ouch!"
Jean chuckles, mostly because Eren deserved that. "Look, I'll go now. Come back to school."
Suddenly, the brunette's face turns dark, and his bright eyes seem glossy. "I could hurt you again."
This time, he does look guilty and apologetic, which only makes the other teen feel awkward. "Don't worry about it."
When Jean leaves, he notices the other two hovering around Eren like little shields, touching his shoulders without flinching. His gaze lingers too long on turquoise eyes and the door closes between the two of them without his notice.