I do not own Attack on Titan

As soon as I finished my report, I walked to Hange's office to turn it in. I couldn't remember what happened after I grabbed Eren's hand. The next thing I knew, Levi was frowning at me and told me to stay put while he pulled Eren out of his titan body.

I felt groggy, like I'd awoken from a deep sleep. My limbs felt like noodles as Hange carried me back to the ground, the titan's corpse steaming as it decayed. Then I was rushed to the infirmary where Eren and I were both examined and found to be fine. Eren was livelier than I was initially. He was so energetic he couldn't keep still while the nurse checked him. I on the other hand, was slightly drowsy.

Finally reaching Hange's office, I knocked on the door. She called me in. Upon entry, I saw Eren was already seated in the room. Hange sat behind her large desk before me, a window directly behind her. A fireplace off to my left had a large painting above the mantle, lit by the blaze of the fire. There was a soft chair sitting in front of the fireplace, inviting me to settle in its cushions and prop my feet up on the ottoman.

Instead, I settled myself in the wooden chair next to Eren, handing Hange my report. She smiled and took it graciously, skimming my rough print.

"Thanks," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," I answered.

It made me self-conscious allowing someone with proper schooling to look at my writing. I never went to school, taught by my Mama to read and write. I could only imagine Hange cringing on the inside at my handwriting.

Hange put her stack of papers down and grinned at both of us. "Now that you're both here, let's talk about today. There were several things I noticed. First, Eren couldn't shift."

I finished for her, "Until I touched him."

"Right," she agreed. "Leading me to assume that Eren's body has limitations and needs a period of recovery. The energy that you provide when connected with him is potent enough to recharge him and then some, giving Eren the ability to remember everything even in his titan form."

Eren speculated, "But the tradeoff is that you lose some of your own vitality in the process."

"Luckily it's not permanent, and Naomi seems almost fully recovered now. It appears the only way Naomi can give you energy is by coming into contact with your blood. I read once that a man was studying lightning, and he discovered that metals conducted the electricity that the lightning provided very well. I don't know the exact mechanics of it all, but it seems like earth energy works under the same principle. As for her orientation within the titan body, I speculate it was the most direct position to transfer the energy into the body. Since you controlled the titan, it only made sense to have her connected to the source for utmost efficiency."

I asked, "Why is it we react differently toward each other than regular humans?"

"That's still a mystery. We don't even know where you get the earth energy exactly or how you can manipulate it. All I can say is that the only time we'll ever see you underneath titan flesh would be if you cut him yourself or you touch his blood with your hands. I thought it was already mind-boggling having a titan shifter in our military branch, but with your gift, it takes everything to a whole new level."

"Sorry," I apologized.

Hange waved her hand nonchalantly. "Don't worry about it. I love good puzzles. That's all I've pieced together so far, so you are dismissed."

Eren and I stood up to leave. He quickly said goodbye to us and disappeared around the door. Just as I was about to leave, Hange stopped me.

"By the way, Commander Erwin approved. You have permission to go to Karanese and speak with your family.

"Unfortunately, I cannot accompany you because I'm tied up with preparations for the upcoming expedition. There are still a lot of tests I want to do on Eren, and so I'm sending a good friend in my stead. His name is Hugh Eason, retired military correspondent. He used to run letters between the military branches.

"He's very accurate at recording things, mostly because he's very good at listening. Hugh is mute, so I understand that being glued to him a few days will be very long. I'm granting you permission to invite another comrade of yours along so that Hugh or you won't get bored. He's not fond of silence."

I bowed to her. "Thank you, Hange."

"Please don't spend too much time dawdling. We only have twenty-two days left before the expedition. You still need to familiarize yourself with the formation and your position before we leave. Oh, and you'll be meeting Hugh in Trost in two days. That means you have tonight to pack, tomorrow to travel to Trost, and then you'll meet up the next morning and work your way to Karanese. I'll have more information for you before you leave."

"I'll try to gather as much information for you as I can." I bowed once again in respect and left her office.

The hallways were dimly light by the torches on the walls. Now more used to HQ, I could pick out slight differences between the hallways. I was on my way to my room when I was intercepted by someone.

Pulled into a corner of the hallway that wasn't conspicuous, I suddenly felt warm lips on mine. Recognizing it was Jean, I kissed back readily as he pressed me into the wall.

Over the past couple of days, we hadn't seen much of each other because I was under Hange's observation. But when we did see each other, we briefly exchanged hellos before quickly returning to our posts. I was usually so tired by evening that we could really only talk for a couple of minutes before I crashed in my bed and conked out.

This kiss was different than the brief ones we exchanged before. He moved his lips against mine in a more forward manner, giving me tingles that reached down to my toes. When we broke for air, I smiled at him.

"Hey," I greeted breathlessly. "Were you waiting for me?"

Jean was planting kisses along my jaw, making his way down my neck. "Yeah. I figured you'd come this way."

"You're becoming such a stalk—Jean!"

I felt his teeth raked over the skin at the base of my neck.

"Wait Jean," I protested, a hint of alarm rising in my voice. "Stop."

At my voice, he paused. When he looked in my eyes, he instantly dropped his hold on me and backed up.

Jean breathed, "Shit. I'm sorry, Naomi. Did I hurt you?"

"No, it's just I'm not used to being like this with someone. I was surprised, is all." When he didn't answer me, I asked, "Is something bothering you?"

"It pisses me off that Jaeger is near you ninety percent of the day," he confessed, his words coming out in the sharpness of his frustration. "I don't want him flirting with you."

I sighed in exasperation. "Even though you know how I feel about you, you still are at odds with Eren?"

Jean clarified, "It's not like I don't believe you. I do! I just don't want him looking at you."

"Don't worry. I'm very certain his mind is on other things than girls."

Even after reassuring him, Jean continued to hold a dejected look on his face. I wasn't a mind reader, but I could tell that he still felt guilty about before.

Mustering up the courage, I stepped toward him and whispered in his ear, "I never said I didn't like it." I affectionately kissed his forehead and embraced him in a hug. "Just warn me next time before you go diving in."

"I'm not very good at this," Jean murmured into my neck, slowly wrapping his arms around me again.

"Let's just take it one step at a time."

He grunted in agreement, holding me close again.

"By the way," I mentioned. "The Commander approved my leave. I'll be deployed tomorrow morning for Trost and leave the following day. Hange can't go with me, so she sent a reliable friend in her stead."

I received a dejected look. "Don't be gone too long. We still have to get ready for the upcoming expedition."

"Hange said I could invite another person for the trip."

"You want me to come?" Jean brightened, the previous conversation fading away from his consciousness.

"It's up to you," I giggled. "It's kind of short notice, but I figure you're bored with the same training we've been doing since the first year of the Training Corps."

He cracked a smile at me, replying, "I better get to packing then."