Author's Note: Make sure to read chapter 3 before resuming here, just for a recap lol.

Something's not right.

As she stared at the fireplace, Leia knew something's off. She hugged her knees as she felt the room closing in on her. Something has changed in her friends, yet she didn't know what. Voices, same voices that she'd hear back then, were influencing her mind, and no matter what she does, they just won't go away. She felt so isolated because of them, so different, yet so accepted. They must be the reason why she felt so unnerved of her current situation. They were telling her something, something about her predicament she hasn't realized yet—

"Lei, are you okay?"

Leia looked horrified when she felt someone tapping her shoulder. She saw how worried Armin was, and how he quickly took his hand back after her reaction. He must've noticed her spacing out. He should've been used to it, since they knew each other since they were 7. "Ah, I was just…thinking." Her small and croaked voice struggled yet managed to say.

As much as she loves to talk to Armin, and no matter how many stories he loves to share, there isn't really much to talk about. He's too suffisticated for her. Same with Mikasa. Even though they're both girls, they don't seem to have a lot in common. Other than having the same friends, they aren't really alike. Maybe they just needed some more bonding time, or maybe they just aren't really that compatible. Sure, they enjoy each other's company, but it still feels different for some reason.

It's way different with Eren though. She and Eren go way back, way before the two met Armin and Mikasa. She first met the boy back when they were 5, when they first moved to the area. She wasn't fond of people that time, before Eren forcefully entered her life.

There never was a dull moment with him around. He always knew what to say and how to really have fun. He made it a habit to make her laugh. A genuine laugh, not a forced one. Whenever she got bored, Eren would invite her to play. They'd play tag, and hide-n-seek, and play house and…

Lei had never realized how Eren made her feel. How he made her feel so special. How he appreciated her company. How he never left her side.

"Hey Armin…" She felt that sinking feeling again. That feeling whenever she thinks something wrong is about to happen. Something tugged deep in her heart, whether it was guilt or shame didn't matter. It was too painful to even bother knowing. Armin faced Leia. "…Does Eren hate me now?"

There's no way that Eren is jealous.

After cooling his head outside the abandoned cabin, he and Mikasa decided to turn back to the safehouse, or should they call it 'home'. Slowly opening the door, he could hear some murmured voices. They must be talking, he can't hear clearly though…

His grip on the doorknob tightened the moment he heard them laughing. What are they laughing about? Were they making fun of him behind his back? Were they scheming something against him? Was Armin making a move on his gi—His thoughts were interrupted when Mikasa patted his shoulder, making him visibly wince, "Ahk!" and lose his balance.

"E-eren?"

"Eren? Hate you?" Armin laughed, his smile reaching ear to ear. "Hate? YOU?" He kept laughing as Leia watched him, unamused. "Sorry, sorry. But, it's just, I know you're smart Lei, but I didn't know you were so dense." He wiped the corner of his eyes after letting out his last few chuckles. "Since when did Eren start hating you?" He sat closer to Leia "And more importantly, what did you do to earn his resentment?"

Leia didn't pay much attention to his first few sentences, but mouthed 'o' at his last statement as she looked impressed at Armin. "Those are big words, Armin. Earn his Re-sen-tuh-men-tuh~!" She giggled despite struggling to do so. She winked playfully at the flustered blonde, who's trying to glare at her and failing ultimately. She forgot how fun it was to make fun of Armin. Not that she was fond of bullying him, but she always finds it adorable when the great Armin stumbles on his speech.

How cute.

"Alright! Now stop laughing!" Leia saw how he pursed his lips and crossed his arms. He's not really angry, is he? "Point is, Eren doesn't hate you and has nothing to hate ab—" The door came bursting open with a loud thud. They saw Eren hugging the ground and Mikasa standing outside. She shook her head, telling them that she didn't push him or anything. Armin went near Eren to help him up.

"The crap, Mikasa!" Eren cursed as he got up from the floor, refusing Armin's help. Eren glared at him unknowingly, and glared at Leia's direction as well. He saw the pity in her eyes, and he hated it. "Stop staring and just go to bed." He said to no one particular, but was sure he was talking to himself. He grabbed a blanket and laid down on a corner, slightly away from Leia. He kept telling himself over and over, but there's no use denying it.

He was jealous after all.

Eren woke up in the middle of the night, and saw his friends sleeping together. There was a vacant spot between Armin and Leia, and before he could even look for her, he saw Mikasa sleeping right beside him. The blanket Eren was using was too short, so Mikasa gave hers to him. He could only sigh and wrap her blanket back around her. "Stupid. You'll catch a cold."

He stood up and went near the two at the fireplace and sat in between them. He noticed that even if she was covered with 2 thick blankets, Leia was still shivering to no end. She was having a hard time to breathe, and despite being too close to the fireplace, her temperature was dropping to an abnormal low. "She was still awake a little while ago."

Eren shifted his head towards the one talking. It was Mikasa, who was rubbing her eyes. "She said that the voices were too noisy," her eyes shifted from Eren to the ground. "even if me and Armin barely spoke." She couldn't bring herself to look at Eren, knowing the inevitable. "Eren, we need to—"

"No." he rudely interjected. "I know what you're thinking. Lei's not crazy. She's just tired and she needs us. Are you expecting me to abandon her?" Even though he wasn't facing her way, Mikasa knew he was scowling again. Eren's hand brushed Lei's hair away from her face. "Just look at her. If she wasn't breathing, I would've thought she's…."

Mikasa sighed. "That's not what I was going to say." Eren turned to look at her. Their eyes locked for a minute before Mikasa looked away. "We have to tell her about… it. We shouldn't hide it any longer. Also, we can't take care of her, and you know that. She's too unstable. She has lesser chance of survival with us than back in the hospital. Besides, they're taking care of her very well so I don't see why we shou—"

"No!" Eren retorted, his voice echoing inside the cabin. "You heard them, Mikasa! They're going to take her away once she's regained consciousness! They'll do some kinds of experiments on her and who knows what they'll do to her!" Eren's outburst woke Armin up in a rather terrified state. He thought that someone's taking them hostage. Eren ignored Armin's episode and continued. "I will not let them turn her into a lab rat! Because she's—! Leia is—!" Mikasa looked disappointingly at him as she apologized to Armin for waking him up. Armin only nodded in response. But…

If that yell woke him up…

The three turned to look at the auburn-haired girl, making no movement whatsoever. Still as a rock.

"…Lei?"