𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙩 || Eren Jaeger

𝒶𝒻𝒻𝑒𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃

12

____________

The door to the room swings open, a chink of light stretching across the dirty floor and stopping right at Jo's feet.

She blinks, having gotten accustomed to the darkness. This room just so happens to not have windows. And the electric light doesn't work.

Eren stands at the doorway with a few items on him, including a gas lamp. He sets the lamp on a high shelf and approaches her calmly yet emotionlessly.

"Here." He says and offers her a bar labeled  "military ration". Probably a very stiff and dry fiber bar.

Jo looks stubbornly at the floor. "No."

"It's been six hours."

"No."

"You need to eat."

"No."

He sighs, and to her mild surprise, he slowly sits down in front of her on the floor. She realizes what else he has brought: scissors, antibacterial swabs, and medical tweezers.

"You should take out your stitches."

In all honesty, Johanna completely forgot about the stitches on her face. She gives Eren a long hard look, trying to decipher his impenetrable expression. She can't tell whether he actually cares or if he's incredibly bored and figured he'd take up a mundane task.

Planning world destruction can only entertain you for so long.

"I can do it myself. If you un-cuff me." She says shrewdly.

Eren doesn't take the bait. "Guess you won't be doing it yourself then."

She scowls.

Eren unfolds a cloth swab and gently dabs it onto her face. Jo studies his demeanor; focused yet closed off. This brings back memories... back when they were young trainees... she was kidnapped during a training exercise and later hurt in the rescue mission. Eren offered to clean her wounds. He was so careful.

Those hands... stained and corrupt by the murders of hundreds... she didn't think they were still capable of that gentleness.

He starts snipping and pulling out the stitches. The discomfort is little to zero. She feels nothing but slight tugs alongside her cheek. As he works she takes note of his split knuckles, red and irritated from the fight 6 hours earlier.

"Hanji agreed to lead us to Zeke's location." Eren says suddenly, "Assuming that everything went according to plan, by now they should've found him."

Jo tries to internalize this, but it doesn't quite sink. "I doubt a couple Jaegerists can get through Levi. He's pretty hellbent on killing Zeke."

Eren delicately tweezes the last stitch out. "That's why I said assuming."

Johanna inspects his face again, his complexion amber under the saturated lamp light, his thick-set eyebrows a richer, harsher brown. She's unsure whether this face will return the question eating away at her with sincerity.

"Do you think he's alive? Be honest."

Eren locks eyes with her properly, taken aback. His facade cracks for just a second, a sliver of his real, compassionate self bare and exposed. But then the light in his irises vanish, and he's the monster that war created again; the monster determined to flatten the world.

"He'll be fine." He says.

Jo frowns, disheartened. She hates empty reassurances.

"Your lip is split."