MAY 19th (Monday)

On Monday, Jean did not see Eren in the break room with his coffee like usual. He had not realized how much Eren was part of his morning routine until he wasn't there to pick on first thing in the morning.

He got an email from Hange with instructions to do Eren's work. That made him silently smile. He looked at the clock and calculated it into UK time. Then he checked his phone, but no messages, not even a single response to all of his texts after Eren's last jab.

‹ Stop thinking about me sucking your cock. Sorry, not interested. I don't eat filth. ›

He felt it was strange to have Eren's number in his phone. What were the odds of that ever happening? It also made him a little nervous and giddy, if he cared to admit it.

Jean found himself smiling as he reread the texts he had sent on Sunday. His banter with Eren was what he needed that morning. He typed a message.

‹ Hey, dickface. I'm about to take your job. ›

A few seconds later, a message popped up.

‹ In your dreams, noob. Don't fuck up too badly. ›

Jean laughed out loud, caught himself, and quickly put away his phone. He did not want to get into trouble for playing on his phone at work. He logged into the company's network, pulled up his queue for the day, and audibly groaned at the pile of work.

Reiner leaned over from his cubicle. "Hey, Jean. You can divide Eren's tasks with me as well."

Surprised, Jean asked, "Eh? Are you really okay with that?"

Bertholdt walked over. "I was just about to suggest that too. Of course we want to support Eren."

Jean burst into a joyful grin. "Thanks, you guys."

They worked out a way to handle Eren's massive load of clients along with their own assignments. Even split between the three of them, it was a daunting amount of work.

And Eren did this all on his own!

Jean shook his head. The sheer level of focus and dedication needed to handle so many clients and be as successful as Eren ... he had to admit, it was impressive. Reiner muttered that this was why Eren had a higher position than them. His focus and time management skills were simply superior.

Despite splitting up the work, Jean had to stay overtime to finish. The office emptied out, but he had one more email that had to be sent out.

While he was typing, he kept looking at the phone. No more texts. This somewhat pissed him off, but he realized that Eren would be worried about more important things. Still, what time was it in the UK? Shouldn't the tests be finished? What sort of treatment were they looking into?

He decided to take a few minutes to rest and leaned back in his chair. The office was quiet except for the hums of computers. He pulled out his phone and thought about sending another text.

His finger froze on the keyboard. Wasn't this whole thing way too important for just some impersonal, and outright rude, text messages?

Instead, he dialed Eren's number and put the phone up to his ear. Jean's heart thumped a little faster with each ring on the phone, his throat tensing with nervousness.

Why the hell am I sweating like a nervous teen? I'm just calling some dude.

Then the rings abruptly stopped. A sleepy voice muttered, "Hello?"

Jean's heart skipped. "Hey!" He coughed as he heard his own voice sounding high and tense. "So, how did the doctor appointment go?" Jean decided to go straight to the point. Why have a lengthy long-distance phone call for no reason?

The voice was again groggy. "Who is this?"

His face burned red with indignation. "What the fuck! It's Jean. Who else would it be? Why do you sound like you're drunk?"

"Jean? Oh, hey." Despite a deep tiredness in Eren's voice, Jean could feel the smile in his words at hearing a familiar voice. "Sorry, I forgot to add your number in."

"Well, you better add it," he snapped. Then his voice softened. "Are you okay? Is your mom all right?"

There was a long sigh, and for a second Jean feared the worst.

"Yeah, she's fine. Look, it's like... eleven o'clock at night, and I'm still getting over jet lag. Can I call you later?"

"Oh! Yeah, sure. Just real quick then: how's your mom?"

"Sore, groggy, but she's okay. Tests are done, and she had her first treatment. There were some complications, probably because her body has already gone through so much in the past five months, but everything's okay now. They said to let her sleep as much as she needs. She was hoping to come back home between treatments, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen yet."

"Are you planning to stay there?"

"No, I have to come back. I'm surprised I got even a week off. Thank you for that."

"It was nothing," Jean mumbled. "How long will she be away?"

"A month. They said it'll be four weeks of treatment, four weeks off to recover—she can come home for that—then another set of tests, see if it's working, but they warned she'll probably need three or even four rounds of chemo, likely followed by surgery, then more radiation."

"Shit," Jean mumbled.

"She's optimistic. The oncologist is really nice. Dr. Erwin Smith came by earlier to check on her." He laughed tiredly. "I think my mom has a crush on him."

Jean laughed, imagining Carla blushing as a cute British doctor spoke eloquently to her with a sexy Oxford accent. "I wish I could be there."

"Eh? What's up with that?" Eren retorted with a laugh.

Jean jolted, not realizing he actually said those words out loud. "Shut up! I'm worried about her, you know."

"Who needs you around?" Eren said, although his voice sounded playful, and the tiny sigh at the end showed that maybe the light bantering was precisely what he needed after a stressful day. "Besides, don't you have work? If you're taking over my load, that's a lot."

"Reiner and Bertholdt lent me a hand today."

"They did? That's really nice of them. Thank them for me, would you?"

"Thank them yourself, bastard."

Hearing Eren chuckle on the other end made Jean's heart flutter. He could picture that relaxed, laughing face. Then he heard someone talking in the background, and he just barely recognized Carla's sleepy voice calling to her son.

"Oh, I have to go. Mom is waking up."

"Tell her hi for me, and you better take care of her, okay?"

"You don't even have to tell me."

"See ya, Butthead."

"Later, Beavis."

Jean hung up the cellphone and placed it back into his pocket. He let out a sigh and gazed up to heaven.

"Keep watch over them both," he prayed.

* * *

Eren's bed was right next to Carla's as they had a private room at the clinic. Her bed had monitors next to it, while his was little more than a cot. It was enough, though.

Carla woke from her nap and looked around, like she needed a moment to remember where she was. Then she saw her son and smiled at him. Eren felt relief washing over him when his mother's eyes met his.

"Who was on the phone? A girl?"

Eren laughed awkwardly. "No, just Jean. He says hello."

"It must be just after five o'clock in America. Calling you after work! That's sweet of him. Make sure you tell him I appreciate his thoughts."

"I will. Do you need anything?"

"Some water," Carla whispered, still feeling weary.

There was a pitcher of filtered water on a counter, along with a mini fridge and a tea kettle. It wasn't exactly homely, but it was meant to be more convenient, and the pictures on the wall and curtains on the windows were supposed to evoke peacefulness. Eren got a glass, filled it, and walked back to his mother. Her hands were so thin now as they took the glass and lifted it to her parched lips. Eren stroked her hair in concern.

Carla glanced up at him. "Do I look that bad?"

"You just look tired," he assured her. "It's nearly eleven."

"It'll take a while to adjust. I shouldn't have taken that nap."

"No, Mom. Sleep as much as you need."

"I'm tired of sleeping," she said with a smirk. "So, Jean Kirschtein. That brings back memories. I remember how you two bickered on almost anything, and how some of your childish brawls ended up in fist fights."

"Yup, that's him all right," Eren said with a wry chuckle. "He's still the same. Don't let my boss know, but we actually got into a fight at work."

"Is that why you had a bruise on your face?" Carla tisked in motherly disapproval, but it turned into giggles. "Even after all this time, you two still act the same."

"Yeah, but... he..." Eren looked down and recalled those clashing memories, how kind Jean was to him as a child, how awful he was through his teen years, and now the taunting mixed with concern. "He's changed. I don't even know why. Do you know why Jean became such a bully? What happened to him? And why can't I remember?" He stopped and shook his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't bother you with all this while you're recovering."

"No, it's okay, because I hope that someday you two can be friends again."

"I doubt that we'll be hanging out and watching movies together anytime soon, but if we can at least work well together, maybe take on some projects I've been wanting to do but they require a teammate... that would be nice."

Yes, while Eren could not imagine actually being friends with Jean, workplace buddies might be a good start.

At least they could reach a point where he didn't have to hunt down his chair, or test the temperature of his coffee, or some other cruel prank by Jean.

* * *

Author's Note: The following scene contains controversial language. Please realize, I'm trying to make a point. It's meant to shock, it's meant to offend, it's meant to showcase how bigotry can warp an innocent child. Sometimes, a writer has to use language that appalls them in order to make a point. If this makes you cringe, then you are one of the good ones out there.

https://youtu.be/B32yjbCSVpU

1986 (Age 7)

"Bring your dad to school day!" Eren exclaimed in excitement as they sat in the Jaeger's living room playing with Legos. "This is gonna be so cool."

Jean grumbled, "Well yeah, your dad is a doctor. I bet he has lots of cool stories. Pa is a steelworker. Boring."

"Are you kidding! He builds skyscrapers. That's totally cool!" Eren cried out. "Hey, we should take pictures of all the buildings your dad has made. That'd be really impressive."

"It's not like he did it alone."

"And it's not like my dad can magically heal people." Eren drew his face in narrow and made his fingers like glasses that his father wore. He took on a studious tone as he mimicked his father. "A doctor doesn't do it alone. There are nurses and pharmacists and lab techs. It's a team effort."

Jean chuckled at the impression. "That's better than my pa." He took the baseball cap he was wearing backwards, turned it to face correctly, and scowled like an old man. "I make dem buildings an' duh fuckin' Jews get duh munee. It's a shitty, fucked up system. We should gas all the Jews an' niggers. Now gimme another beer, bitch."

Eren's eyes widened in horror. He looked around the room, then whispered, "Jean, those are naughty words."

"Huh?"

"Jean Michael Kirschtein!"

Both boys froze. When a mother used your middle name, you knew you were in trouble.

"Crap," Jean hissed.

Nancy stomped out of the kitchen and into the living room with Carla following her. "What were those words coming out of your mouth?"

"It's what Pa says all the time," he protested.

Nancy grabbed his ear, and Jean winced in pain. "Those are not words for a little boy, ya hear me!"

"How am I supposed to know that?" he yelled back.

Eren reached out, laid his hand on Nancy's wrist, and her fingers instantly let go. Jean shielded his ear, scowling and looking ready to cry. Eren rubbed his back to calm him down. At the same time, Carla walked up to Nancy and took her shoulder to keep her back.

"Jean," Eren said quietly, "do you know which words were bad?"

Jean looked over at him. Bad words? "Well... I know the F-word is bad."

"There's also the B-word and the SH-word. Remember, we can't use those at school."

"But we're at home, and Pa says stuff like that."

Carla looked particularly worried. "Does he really say he wants to gas Jews?"

Nancy turned to her, looking pleading. "He doesn't mean it. You know he doesn't!"

"It's still an awful thing to say, even as a joke. Grisha lost family to the Nazis."

"I know, I know," Nancy sighed, and now she looked as remorseful as Jean.

Carla knelt in front of Jean, who struggled not to turn away as his eyes burned with tears. "Jean, those words make people sad. Do you want to make me sad?"

He mumbled, "No, Mrs. Jaeger."

"Eren's father is a Jew. Do you want to gas and kill Mr. Jaeger?"

"Never!" he said more firmly.

"Also, you should never, ever call a Black person... that term."

"Nigger?"

"Yeah," she said, cringing. "Never use that word again."

"But Pa does."

"It's a very hurtful word, and it makes people sad. You don't want to make people sad, right?"

His lower lip jutted out. "No, Mrs. Jaeger."

She patted his head. "Promise you'll never talk like that in my house again, and I'll make you boys some cookies. Deal?"

He instantly cheered up. "Deal!"

"Only nice words, right?"

"Right. No bad words around you. Gotcha!"

Carla laughed and shook her head. Well, it was a half-won battle.

The two mothers returned to the kitchen, with Nancy whispering, "You really do have a way with those boys."

Meanwhile, Eren waited until their mothers were gone, and suddenly he shoved Jean.

He snapped out of his slump and glared over. "What was that for?"

"You upset Mom."

"I didn't mean to."

"Well you still did!" He shoved Jean again.

"Don't shove me twice." He shoved Eren back.

The two began to push each other, then tickle each other, until the commercials were over and their cartoon was back on. Then they gave up their horseplay and focused again on watching The Real Ghostbusters.

* * *

PRESENT DAY: 2003

"Eren, are you okay?"

Eren snapped out of his dream-memory. "Yeah," he whispered. "Just... remembering something."

Carla smiled at him. "Something good, I hope."

"It was a day Jean cussed around you, and you scolded him never to do it again, only you were really nice about it."

Carla chuckled and thought back. "I think I remember that day. He was just mimicking his father, but what he said... Nancy and I talked about it on our own, if there was a way to convince Linny not to talk like that around Jean. Sadly, she had tried and he got angry about Freedom of Speech. That poor boy got in a lot of trouble over the years for repeating things his father said."

Eren hummed and tried to think back. He had very few memories of Jean's father. He could barely remember what the man looked like, let alone what sort of attitude he had.

Yet they had been neighbors through most of Eren's childhood. Wasn't it weird to not remember a man who lived next door to you?

He shrugged it off, not wanting to upset his mother with talk about his missing memories.

"You were such a cool mom, and still are," he declared.

That made Carla laugh and blush.

That face!

That was how he always wanted his mother to look.

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Again, I apologize for writing what Jean says in the flashback. I debated for weeks about including it, but I felt the lesson in tolerance was worth the discomfort to myself in writing a character who would say something like that, even if little Jean is just repeating what his father says. It still makes me feel gross.

Beavis and Butt-head — Eren retorts to Jean's "butthead" name-calling by calling him "Beavis." Beavis and Butt-head was a sit-com on MTV that ran from 1993-1997, of two slacker teens who comment on (and usually insult) pop culture and music videos while eating nachos. It was a huge cultural phenomenon when I was a kid, and my husband still does a decent Beavis impression. The show returned in 2011, now commenting on Millennial-era culture like YouTube videos, the UFC, and of course music videos. Then in 2022, it was once again revived on Paramount who promoted the show by attempting to break the world record for the largest serving of nachos — and succeeded, winning a Guinness World Record.

When I'm Gone by 3 Doors Down spent 17 weeks in the Billboard charts from November 2002 through March 2003. It's about a man who realizes he needs emotional support from those he loves. "Roaming through this darkness, I'm alive but I'm alone, and part of me is fighting this, but part of me is gone. So hold me when I'm here, right me when I'm wrong, hold me when I'm scared, and love me when I'm gone." In particular, it's about the War in Afghanistan. The band filmed the music video aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington. I got to see 3 Doors Down a few years ago. What a flashback!

(USS George Washington)

Cats in the Cradle was originally a folk song by Harry Chapin about a deteriorating relationship between a father and son. In 1993, hard rock American band Ugly Kid Joe skyrocketed up the charts with their edgy, angsty version.

"Jean Michael" — In my story Dangerous Territory, Jean's middle name is Michael, named after his English voice actor. When a parent addresses you by your full name, it's already too late to run!

F-word, B-word, SH-word — Please tell me little kids still call it that! It was so adorable when I was in school and we'd insult someone by saying "You're such a B-word you, bleeping SH-head." We all knew the bad words, but teachers warned us that we couldn't say them, so we'd find ways around it.

The Real Ghostbusters aired from 1986 to 1991, a cartoon spin-off of the 1984 movie. I loved that cartoon, and as a little kid I thought the movie was just a real-life adaptation!