ONE ʙʏ ONE 𝟸 : ᗩᗷᑌᔕᗴ ᗩᔕƳᒪᑌᗰ

ᴛᴡᴏ

Eren woke to a white room, but it wasn't quite a hospital room. He went to stretch but was restrained, almost suffocating. The teen sat up, and as the covers fell off him, a tan straight jacket revealed, gripping Eren's torso tightly.

"What the hell?" Eren gasped, tugging at the fabric.

A male nurse came in and quickly ordered, "Please remain calm, Mr. Yeager. You are safe."

"Why am I in a straight jacket? I'm not crazy!" Eren growled, carefully standing out of the bed.

The nurse held a hand out for him to stay. "You attacked staff at Maria Hospital. It was in case you woke up still manic." He stepped closer, keeping eye contact with him. "I can take it off if you remain calm."

Eren nodded vigorously, promising not to attack anyone. The nurse undid the line of belts along Eren's back, and Eren sighed with relief as the tight bind came loose. The nurse carried the straight jacket out of the room, leaving the door open.

A familiar voice echoed from the next room, and Eren peered out the door. Zeke was playing cards with Christa, but Eren couldn't remember his brother.

"It's okay for you to come out." A female nurse beamed, catching Eren staring at the room.

Eren hesitated before stepping into a large white room. It was a circular room with multiple doors wrapping around the walls. They met up at a large window area with a ledge and a pile of pillows and bean bags. It seemed like a comfort area. Another section across from that area had a few fold-out chairs and a tv. The last section had a couple of tables and games stacked up.

Zeke and Christa didn't notice the teen walk in. Suddenly, Jean came out of his room, immediately making eye contact with Eren. He smiled from ear to ear as he walked up to the boy, but Eren didn't return the gesture.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Jean sighed, trying to reach out for a hug.

Eren pushed his arms away. "What do you think you're doing, horseface?"

Jean was shocked for a moment before remembering, "Oh right, the concussion."

Eren looked at him, confused. Jean chuckled nervously before trying his best to explain.

"Levi gave you a concussion, and you lost your memory. I know it's hard to believe, but you and I are friends...well-" His cheeks dusted red. "I guess we're slightly more than that now."

Eren chortled, "Yeah right, horseface. As if I'd ever love a bully like you. Just do me a favor and screw off with your lies about Levi."

The teen shoved his shoulder into Jean's and walked off towards Zeke and Christa. Jean knew it wasn't Eren's fault for treating him like that because he couldn't remember anything, but it hurt a lot hearing the nickname horseface again. Christa wistfully smiled at Eren as he pulled up a chair next to her.

"You're Christa, right?" Eren asked. "You're Mikasa's friend."

Her expression darkened at the mention of Mikasa. She slowly nodded, tears pricking at her waterline. Zeke reached out and patted her shoulder.

"He doesn't remember anything, does he?" Christa sniffles to Zeke.

Zeke nodded before looking at Eren. "If you can't remember that, you probably won't remember me. I'm Zeke."

He held a hand out to Eren, and the teen hesitated to grab it. Zeke fully understood Eren's timid behavior. Christa started the game over and dealt Eren in.

"So, could you explain what's going on here?" Eren wondered, looking towards the nurse standing in the corner. He was observing them like a watch guard.

Christa wasn't ready to talk about anything, so Zeke spoke instead. "This is Rose Wall Asylum. Everyone here is under protective custody."

Eren gasped, "All this because my mom shot Marco?"

"This only a small thread in a large quilt. Levi is the real reason we are here. Him and his psychotic companion, but don't be afraid — he got arrested."

Eren gaped, "Why did Levi get arrested? He hasn't done anything wrong."

Suddenly, Christa slammed her hands on the table, standing up abruptly. "Can we just play the game and forget about that murderer?"

"Miss Lenz, please stay calm." The female nurse advised.

Christa screamed back, "That is not my name!"

Eren jumped up from his chair and growled, "Did you call Levi a murderer? Are you fucking nuts? Levi is the best thing that happened to me!"

Christa darted her head towards the boy, rage taking over. She threw a left hook across his face, sending him to the floor. Then, the female nurse ran up, accompanied by two male nurses, and sedated her. The male nurses drug her through a door, which Eren assumed was her room.

Everyone went silent for a moment before Zeke suggested, "Maybe you should watch the news. It will do a better job of explaining."

The man gestured his head in the direction of the TV. Eren made his way over and sat on the fold-out chair. The news played everyday things until Levi's mugshot appeared.

The news anchor reported, "The town of Maria is devastated with the recent event taking place at an abandoned construction site where police are investigating a long list of crimes. We have reporter Hall there to tell you the crime scene this morning."

Eren looked at Jean, who stared down at the floor, not wanting to hear about Levi. Jean was devastated that he couldn't talk to Eren the same way, but there was a hope that Eren would get his memories back. He was willing to wait or even build back their relationship if he had to.

"This is a horrifying tragedy over here." The reporter informed. "Families of the victims have gathered at the site to mourn the loss of their loved ones. Multiple bodies have been pulled from an underground criminal bar where it is said that a mass kidnapping went wrong for the criminals. Witnesses who survived the incident were asked to be interviewed, but they denied saying only three words — one by one. Back to you."

Eren looked to Zeke and asked, "What does that mean?"

Without looking away from the screen, Zeke muttered, "You'll know when your memories come back."

The screen then returned to the news anchor, who then revealed, "The prime suspect in this investigation is a seventeen-year-old student from Maria High, Levi Ackerman. He was arrested on-site and is now under interrogation. Two murder victims were found at the underground bar, two more at a separated abandoned building just outside of Maria, one just down the road from there, and one at Maria Highschool."

Eren jumped up, seeing a video of Levi getting arrested by two cops. A tear rolled down his cheek as he watched his friend get drug away, but another side of him felt happy for some odd reason. His memories were there and were reacting to events; he just couldn't understand or remember them. The teen looked to Zeke, who chuckled lowly. Jean smiled to himself, finally looking up to the channel.

"It's finally over." Jean sighed.

╰ ─┉─¡! • !¡─┉─ ╯

Is it, Jean? Is it really? XD

I hope you guys have a fabulous day!!

Toodles~