The group moved past you toward the weight room corridor, their banter fading. Jean, however, slowed his pace. He stopped at the edge of the front desk, shifting his weight.

He didn’t move to scan his ID. He just stood there, his eyes flicking from your face to the textbook, then to the water bottle sitting beside your keyboard.

He nodded at the bottle. At the fresh, slightly crooked sticker of a cartoon planet you’d applied that morning.

From the weight room, Eren Jaeger’s voice carried, sharp and clear.

He looked back at you. His expression was earnest, a little awkward.