a/n: Thank you guys for the follows and kind words. They absolutely lift me up! On another note, there will be a third (and final) part of this series, Fringe (two chaps long). I'll be uploading the first part tomorrow. I hope you enjoyed Schemata!

s: Changes, for better or worse.

Schemata

v: disillusionment

Jean wakes up in his bed, which is cold as fuck.

He creeps to the kitchen with a shudder, wondering if he left a window open last night.

His eyes fly open at the sight of the place, full of fresh, shining ice that leads to Eren's body, which is almost fully encased in it. He's bundled in it, looking warm and rosy as per usual.

"Eren," Jean's teeth chatter as the cold seeps into his bones. "Eren, wake the hell up and get rid of this."

Blue-green eyes flicker open—except that they aren't their usual color. His irises have turned gold, and there are flecks of the color in his pupils as well. "What?"

"The ice," the blonde gestures around them. "Your eyes are different."

"Shit," Eren mutters, emitting flames and melting most of the ice. "What're they like?"

"Yellowish. Creepy enough to make a man shit his pants. Kinda perfect for tonight's mission."

"Jean," Eren grumbles, "I just woke up with a new power and yellow eyes. At least give me time to eat before we talk business."

/ /

Eren hangs upside down from a low wall, eyes glowing amber as their hostage cowers. Jean snickers. "This isn't funny," the brunette grumbles, curling his body tightly before hanging loosely again.

"Your have a talent for making rotten white-collar bastards cry and ruin their undies."

"Piss off." Eren huffs out cold mist.

"Look at the guy!" He points at the man, who has snot dripping down his face and can't stop shaking every time the brunette meets his eyes. "This is comedy."

Eren's nose scrunches up. "You're kinda sick, you know that?"

"You're the last person I want to hear that from."

/ /

Levi stretches on the ground, way too flexible for a forty-something year old man. His muscles are coarse—he looks like a wild animal unfurling. "Ice, huh?"

"Yes, sir," Eren stretches, not wiry by any means, but certainly not as sculpted as his instructor. It's been a couple months since they've done this because Levi lives twenty hours away from him by car, but he hasn't slacked off on his personal training.

"Do your worst, kid."

The instructor, gifted with inhuman speed, lays him flat in ten minutes. Eren winces. "I thought we agreed that you wouldn't use your power unless it was absolutely necessary, sir."

"You have three now," Levi deadpans, expression blank as always. "Cut a man a break."

"You could beat me without it."

His voice lilts and his eyes gleam when he replies, "But it's more fun this way."

/ /

They argue over nothing. Constantly.

Eren almost kills Jean one morning by nearly suffocating him in ice, then burning him when taking him out of it. Jean almost kills Eren for almost killing him, magnetizing his foot to Eren's throat and keeping him trapped against the wall with snarls and a rattling list of complaints.

Their living situation is marvelously dysfunctional. Neither of them consider moving.

On a quiet night, Jean starts a friendly conversation.

"You ever think about dating?"

Eren rolls over on the couch. "No."

Jean isn't surprised, but from the recliner, he continues, "Never?"

After a pause, he says, "I wouldn't say never. I'm only human."

The admittance feels more private than anything they've talked about in the last two years. He stays quiet for the rest of the night.

/ /

Shadis unceremoniously opens the door to their apartment, finding his subordinate with bleary amber eyes. He doesn't acknowledge the change, barges in, and drops a folio on their kitchen table.

"One of you – or, hell, both of you," he grunts, "Has to seduce this woman, steal her belongings, and hang her out to dry. If everything goes to hell, you're free to kill her instead."

Eren's eyes are hard. He hates this kind of shit, and Jean knows it. "Why?"

"She's killed four CA agents, and her assets are the result of her success in human trafficking." At that, Eren's golden eyes flare and anger makes his skin burn hot.

"So, why us?" Jean asks with his arms folded over his chest. "What makes you think she's going to be looking for a serious relationship with one or two guys with shady jobs?"

Shadis points to the folder. Jean opens it with a grimace and Eren looms over his shoulder. Inside, there's a picture of a frosty-looking blonde woman with gray-blue eyes. Underneath her picture is a memo: You wouldn't believe the kind of trouble it is to find a sturdy man in this town.

Her history is included – powerful businesswoman, sexually adventurous, fiercely loyal. As long as her type isn't beefy old guys or scrawny teenagers, one of them can probably win her over. Apparently she isn't much of a talker, though – then again, neither is Eren. They'd probably send each other cool glares over dinner for an hour and walk out of a restaurant with the idea that the date had been perfect. Otherwise, she'd like Jean, who's flashy enough for the both of them, and would try his best to coax a smile out of her.

Both of them are dangerous enough to suit her fancy. The rest just comes down to her surface tastes.

"Because Pixis believes you can succeed."

Jean answers for both of them before Eren can complain. "Then we'll do our best, sir."

/ /

"How are you being set up?" Mikasa towels her hands dry and leans against the counter, pressing the phone further against her ear.

"For a cautious killer, she's pretty easy to get close to, apparently. It's probably some sort of trap, trying to find…" After a pause, he disgustedly finishes, "products on her blind dates."

The woman rolls her eyes. "If you know that, then why are you doing it?"

"Because it's two against one, and she doesn't know we're CA yet."

She scowls. "That still doesn't sound like you."

Eren sighs. "I didn't accept the mission. Jean did."

"Why?"

After a pause, the brunette answers, "He thinks we can pull it off."

"Have you ever even been on a date?" Mikasa's voice is hard – whether the answer is yes or no, he'll get grilled, and thus Eren groans.

"No."

"I'm coming over to dress you."

He scowls. "No, you're not."

"Eren!"

"I'm hanging up."

/ /

Annie Leonhart has an icy stare, but she's otherwise composed and quiet.

Eren Jaeger has a furrowed brow even when he's relaxed, and is standoffish on top of being quiet.

Jean Kirschtein watches from a distance and laughs his fucking ass off.

/ /

"How'd it go?" He's grinning from ear to ear.

Eren kicks the couch he's sitting on. "You were watching the whole time. You know how it went."

"Like a train wreck?"

"More like a quiet explosion. I think she said maybe ten words to me."

"Like you were any better."

/ /

A week later, Jean has his turn. Annie intimidates him, but he's good at bluffing his way through dinner anyways. He even makes her crack one half-smile.

When he gets home, bragging that she asked him to have coffee, Eren shrugs. "Are you really surprised?"

/ /

Jean comes home looking dreadfully contented, and after his fifth happy sigh, Eren looks up from his book and glances at him, waiting for his roommate to talk.

"It's not bad," the sandy-haired man explains, "having a girlfriend." The brunette raises an eyebrow and Jean suddenly deflates. "I know, I know. Don't remind me. It's just a dumb illusion. Doesn't mean I can't enjoy it while it lasts."

/ /

Annie's hand is awfully soft on his arm when she asks him back to her apartment.

Jean, her boyfriend of five weeks, has absolutely no reason to refuse.

/ /

Pixis calls in the middle of the night and the brunette nearly misses it because his secure line is hidden under dirty laundry in his bedroom. "Hello."

"I have new information. You'll need to find Kirschtein and tell him immediately."

"Yes, sir," Eren grimly replies.

"On top of her offenses, she was once a good friend to Braun. She probably used some dirty connections to follow his fall back to us."

"She found us."

"Not you," Pixis says. "Just Kirschtein."

Because only Jean worked for Braun, Eren thinks, furious. "Damn it."

/ /

Soft blonde tresses pooled on Jeans chest as Annie slowly kissed her way up his sternum. He hummed in satisfaction as she moved to undo his belt, settling her weight on his hips.

"Damn," Jean muses. "You're built as hell, babe."

"Thank you," She purrs, immediately moving to immobilize him. Jean acts quickly, retaining use of one arm and one leg, to bloke a choking maneuver and the ability to flip them over. "And here I thought we had such a good vibe going."

"I know better than to underestimate you," he replies with a shaky smirk. "I've read up."

Annie digs a knee into his gut and quickly makes her hold more one-sided in her favor. "You didn't read enough." Her fingers go for the throat, but Jean thrashes against her. Her elbow comes back around him and he gasps, floundering for a method of escape, tears threatening to escape his eyes. Right when he's on the verge of unconsciousness, flames surround them and Jean gasps, swallowing mouthfuls of debris and breathing smoke.

"You bitch," Eren seethes, ice creeping from his mouth even as her apartment is rendered to ash. Jean passes out while she tries to escape and fails.

He skewers her through several vitals with icicles, watching life drain from her eyes before getting rid of the flames. As soon as he's sure she's dead, he turns panicked blue-green eyes to his partner on the floor, who's passed out from asphyxiation and shock.

"If you complain about this when you wake up," Eren shakes with fear as he tilts Jean's head back. "I swear to god I'll make you regret it."

He performs CPR efficiently, pressing his lips to the other man's until Jean gasps awake and grabs onto his shirt. With watery brown eyes, the taller man wheezes, "Gone?"

"Gone," Eren confirms.

/ /

Jean groans. "I can't believe you kissed me."

Eren groans back. "I knew you were gonna say something."

"You could have, I don't know, called the paramedics—"

"I skewered a woman in her apartment, which I also burned. Something tells me you wouldn't have liked explaining things to the police, the fire department, and the doctors."

Jean is petulant. "I'm never letting you live this down."

"I don't care."

"Why not?"

"It was an emergency. Stop being such an asshole about it."

"I'm just concerned."

Eren rolls his eyes. "About what? Your pride?"

"I don't know, that you'd have some sort of weird obligation."

"Jean, what the actual fuck."

"You saved my life," Jean mutters, sounding more pissed than he has any reason to be. "I don't know, I guess I'm just…more surprised you did. And by kissing me, of all things—"

"I performed CPR, for Christ's sake."

Grimacing, the blonde murmurs, "You don't have to look so pissed about it."

Eren glares, grunting, "I'm pissed about whatever dumb fucking idea you have in your head right now."

"Eren, look," Jean stands suddenly, expression hard. "I'm glad, alright. I'm really fucking glad you saved me. I just got," he faults for a second, then continues, "worked up or some shit. It's just…it's been a long time since I could relax. I gotta be honest, I thought you'd be the one to kill me. Indirectly, shit, stop glaring at me. Never thought it would be…" he gulps, "my mistake—a botched mission. Fuck."

Eren becomes eerily quiet. "Okay."

"And I just," the other man babbles, "I'm just bitter and angry and lonely." He reaches out for Eren and pulls his hand back. "I'm too old for this shit. I need to…to live a quiet life on my savings and…damn it, I want to be happy."

"So quit," Eren says, voice hollow.

"Are you saying I'm not qualified?" Jean's voice wavers.

"I never said that. You said you wanted…" He trails off.

"If I quit, would you quit too?"

Eren holds a shaking hand on his shoulder. "I can't, Jean. I'm not…" Normal. I don't belong. "Besides, how would you be happy with…" he can't finish the thought. "I can't."

Promises thud in their skulls and Jean pulls Eren down, a furious look in his eyes. "Tell me the truth. Am I any good at this, Eren?"

"You haven't been killed," Eren looks him dead in the eyes, expression serious. "CA won't be the same."

Jean laughs bitterly. "You're literal shit at cheering people up." After a long, hesitant pause, he presses his lips against Eren's face and makes a face like he's disgusted. Eren looks equally upset. "Damn, could you be any angrier?"

"We kind of hate each other."

"I never said that."

"You never had to." Jean kisses him again – on the lips this time – and Eren punches him. "What the hell is this? Your weird way of thanking me for saving you?"

"My weird way of saying I'm not quitting, you ass," he replies, rubbing his bruising chin. "Can you stop making this such a big deal?"

Eren settles next to him before wearing the biggest frown Jean has ever seen, then kissing him with the expression he might have for wiping shit off of his shoe. Jean grimaces back when they pull apart. "See? You can't help it."

They aren't happy – not really. They're not really sure they can be.

Still, somehow, it's better. Neither of them says why.