Chapter Text
Eren slumped down the side of the wooden boat as tears spilled down his cheeks. The screams of anger and cries of panic that surrounded him were so loud it was impossible for him to shut them out, hard as he tried.
They were on the last boat of refugees headed toward the land behind Wall Rose. He, Mikasa and Armin had made it out alive, but his mother…
The boy covered his face with his hands as his bottom hit the floor. He drew his knees up to his chest as his body began to shake.
His mother.
He would never be able to unsee what had happened to her. How she died. How she was murdered by a Titan. How in spite of his best effort, he’d been too weak to save her.
“You couldn’t save your mother because you lacked the strength.”
The voice of Hannes rang in his head. He was the member of the Garrison Regiment, the military branch that guarded the walls, that had carried Eren and Mikasa out of Shiganshina District after a 200 foot tall Titan had mysteriously and suddenly appeared after 100 years of peace and broken down the outer wall. They’d been carried through the gate of Wall Maria and placed on the boat. But, once they were aboard, an armored Titan had appeared and smashed it’s way through the gate, dooming all of humanity that resided between Wall Maria and Wall Rose to death unless they were able to evacuate quickly. There was no telling how the inner districts would handle the sudden and drastic increase in population. Indeed, few had even mentally prepared themselves for a day like this. Complacency had been a disease.
If he’d been an alpha, if he’d just been stronger, maybe… maybe his mother would be beside him in the boat right now.
Eren had hated that he was an omega since he understood what it meant, since he knew it saddled him with a label of fragility and weakness. Everyday he worked to prove he defied is orientation, that omegas could be strong warriors, heroes.
And for all the times that adopted alpha sibling Mikasa had saved him from getting the shit beat out of him when he’d impulsively jumped into a fight with boys or men that were bigger or stronger than him, he’d saved her once, too. And while most children, especially most omegas, would have found that day traumatic, it was proof to Eren that he had it in him to be a hero, too.
As much as Mikasa tried to talk sense into him and remind him he was going to end up getting himself killed, Eren refused to let being an omega be the death sentence he knew it was. He wouldn’t spend everyday in a house, serving some entitled alpha, while his life passed him by. He would defy everything, he would prove to everyone that omegas could be more and he would see the world outside the walls, just like the brave alphas in the Survey Corps he admired so much did.
But, today he was a failure. He hadn’t even been able to save his own mother from one Titan. And it hurt him to the core. The pain he felt inside, the rage, it was nearly maddening. When he got off the boat, he was going to become the greatest warrior that humanity had ever seen. He was going to eradicate the Titans from the planet. Even if he had to do it alone, he would kill them all.
“Eren,” Mikasa said, gently placing her hand on his arm, “It’s going to be OK.”
The boy slowly lifted his head and saw the concerned looks on the faces of his two best friends. He needed to be strong.
“I’m fine,” he forced out, “I’ll be… I just…”
“It’s okay to cry, Eren,” Armin said softly, scooting closer to him and wiping tears from his own eyes.
“No,” Eren muttered, roughly wiping his eyes with the back of his dirty hand. “I’m all right.”
It had been over 100 years since the Titans, giant humanoid creatures that ranged from 10 to 50 feet tall, had appeared. Their origin was unknown, in fact, little was known about them at all aside from the fact that they instinctively ate humans for pleasure, not sustenance. They had wiped out most of humanity long before Eren was born, with those that were left retreating behind three giant concentric walls. That was where the survivors stayed and tried to rebuild, where they had been safe from the Titans for so many years, until today.
Most of the people living inside the walls had never seen a Titan. The only ones that dared to venture outside the walls were the alphas of the Survey Corps. Their purpose was to reclaim land from the Titans and learn about the monsters, but they were looked down upon by most of society because of their high death rate when they went on missions and the perceived lack of progress they made. Since he could remember, Eren dreamed of joining them, in spite of the danger and the risk. He wanted more for humanity than to be penned up like cattle and he was willing to give up his own life for that cause. He’d been determined that he would join them, regardless of his orientation. He knew he didn’t have the strength of an alpha, but he believed he had more than enough heart to be useful as more than some house boy.
He had hoped, in time, that his small, omega body would grow and he’d be able to build strength. But, his sixteenth birthday came and went and he had remained as petite as ever. His mother had told him how he’d been blessed with delicate features, the softest brown hair and the most unique and beautiful big turquoise eyes she had ever seen. So many times she’d ruffled her hands through his shaggy, messy hair and told him that alphas would be fighting for his attention someday. He’d shrugged her off, told her it was stupid, gross, creepy. Just today, just before the wall had been breached by the colossal Titan, he’d told her that he was going to join the Survey Corps no matter what anyone said and likely broken her heart. The last day he would ever spend with his mother, he let her down twice. First he defied her and then he was unable to save her. He felt like such a failure.
There was nothing he could have done in the face of the Titan that had come through the broken down wall and ate his mother as he watched. The Titans had thick skin and were able to regenerate after sustaining injuries. It was nearly impossible to kill a Titan without using Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, a tethering system that soldiers used to allow them to jump onto trees, buildings and onto the Titans themselves in some cases, to give them access to the one sensitive spot on the Titans’ bodies. The nape of their necks.
Before any of them could say another word, the boat came to a stop and a uniformed alpha stepped aboard the ship. He was older and although none of them recognized him, it was clear he was high ranking and by the sour look on his face meant serious business.
“Everyone, silent!” The bearded man boomed, narrowing his eyes and scanning the crowd before him. Eren looked around him, at the many people still talking, complaining, panicking, when suddenly one was pulled from the crowd by another alpha in uniform and brought to the front of the boat. The bearded alpha smacked the man across the face with such force it sounded as though bones in his face had cracked. He collapsed to the ground and a hush fell over the passengers.
“That’s better,” He grumbled, clearing his throat. “Anyone that decides they don’t want to follow my directions will not be admitted into our area. If you want to live here, you will play by our rules. You are guests in our district and a burden to us all. Your choices are to do as I say and assimilate into our culture or you can go back to your hovels and live among the Titans.”
Eren blinked and swallowed hard. This didn’t sound good. He knew that the deeper into the walls you went, the more formal things were, the more wealth and more rules, but his parents had never gone into any detail on what it entailed. They were being presented with a non-choice, that much he knew. It was do whatever the alpha demanded or death by Titans.
“Now that I have your attention,” he continued, “I’d like you to break apart into four groups. In the front of the boat, I want all of the alphas. In the back, I want any children under the age of 13. If they have a surviving parent that isn’t an alpha, they are to go to the back of the boat with their children. Children without a chaperone will be assigned to one of the parents in the back for the time being. Betas should go to the left side, omegas line up on the right. You will be removed in these groups based on your orientation and assigned to duties to help make you less of a strain on us.”
“You can’t possibly be asking us to split up our families!” a woman yelled. “I can’t send my daughter off alone, she just saw her father and brother be killed!”
The man that had pulled the example from the crowd earlier stepped down to approach the woman, but the bearded alpha raised his hand and motioned for him to stop.
“None of you are entitled to be here or to anything from us. You come here, because of your district’s own failings, expecting us to provide you with food and shelter. These things are not free. All of you will contribute or you will be banished. Have I made myself clear?”
“I’m not leaving my family!” an alpha bellowed, taking a step forward. “This is ridiculous, I can contribute and be with them, we all can!”
“Honey, please,” a pregnant woman cried, grabbing his arm and attempting to pull him back into the crowd among the shocked faces and gasps. “Please stop!”
“No!” He yelled, yanking himself away. “They don’t need to separate us! Whatever they’re doing, it’s not right, Amy!” He looked at the others standing around him. “Aren’t any of you going to speak up? Cowards! Do something!”
Two uniformed alphas strode toward the man and one grabbed him by the throat as the other pulled his hands behind his back.
“What are you doing? You can’t, get your hands off me!” The man struggled to fight them off but his wrists, then ankles, were quickly shackled together.
“What did I say about those that wanted to defy our rules and our stipulations?” the bearded alpha growled.
“Sir, what would you like me to do with him?” one of the men asked, holding the angry alpha in place.
“Toss him into the water,” the bearded alpha said dismissively. “Let him be an example to the rest of them.”
“No!” the pregnant woman cried, rushing toward her alpha. “Please, he’ll be good, he won’t say another word! Please, you can’t!”
The bearded alpha turned to the soldiers behind him. “Cuff her and toss her, too. We’ve got no use for an omega knocked up by a fool.”
The men hesitated a moment, obviously taken aback by the callous order, but did as they were told and stepped down to restrain the omega.
“Don’t hurt her!” her alpha yelled desperately, using every last ounce of strength to try and pull away. “Please! I shouldn’t have said anything!”
“Too late,” the bearded man scoffed. “We don’t have time for second chances.” He waved to his soldiers and said flatly, “Dispose of them. Now.”
Eren startled as he felt Armin shove his face into his chest and curl up against him. The blond’s eyes were shut tight and he shook as Eren wrapped his arms around him. He wanted to comfort his friend, but he couldn’t speak. Even if they hadn’t just been ordered not to, he wasn’t sure he could find any words.
He watched in horror as the woman was tossed over the side of the boat. She screamed until she hit the water with a splash and then… silence.
They threw her first. They wanted to make him watch her die.
Eren had watched so many die today, his own mother, but still… it was one more scene that would haunt him. Humanity could be just as threatening to itself and unfeeling as the Titans.
When the men began to drag the alpha toward the side of the boat, Eren shut his eyes and cursed himself. Damn his stupid, omega emotions. An alpha would hold themselves together. Mikasa did. She was able to hold in her tears. And he… he was no better than Armin, who was whimpering in his arms.
It was at that moment that it hit him. They were going to separate him from Mikasa, and there was no telling for how long. He turned his head and stared at her with wide, horrified eyes.
“I’ll find you,” she mouthed, with the kind of confidence only Mikasa could project.
Eren shut his gaping mouth and nodded sharply. He believed her. Mikasa had never let him down. She was always there to rescue him, ever since he’d saved her. And while Mikasa didn’t look like much of a threat to a stranger, with her black hair, Asian features and Eren’s old scarf almost always covering half of her face, she was an extraordinary fighter and amazing ally that he knew was destined for greatness.
“I want the alphas first!” The bearded alpha hollered, clearly not in the mood for any more delays. “Get to the front of the boat and move swiftly. Single file! You will be escorted across the city where you will give us your information, inform us of your dependents and next of kin, and assigned to your duties and quarters. Let’s move, we don’t have all day!”
Mikasa stood and Eren grabbed her hand.
“I’ll be fine, Eren,” she said firmly. “I will list you and Armin as my brothers.”
Eren swallowed and held onto her. Although he didn’t want to admit it, he was terrified of what was to come. The separation by orientation really did seem unnecessary and although his head was still spinning from the loss of his mother and the Titan attack, something felt off about the current situation they had found themselves in.
“Mikasa, I have a bad feeling about this,” Eren whispered to her. “It doesn’t make any sense, if you just think about it for a minute…”
“Eren!” she snapped, pulling her hand away. “We don’t have any choice! If we don’t do what they ask, they’ll send us back, or worse!”
“But, Mikasa,” Eren started, pleading with his eyes. He didn’t want to say to her that it was easy for her to be brave, that she was an alpha. That she could protect herself.
“Don’t be pig headed about this, Eren!” she scolded. “Just do what they ask and try not to make any waves! I’ll come for you as soon as I can!”
He frowned and nodded again, glancing down at Armin, who was still crying softly in his lap.
“And look after Armin,” Mikasa said softly as she bent to pat his hair. “He needs you to be strong for him.”
“I will,” he promised, swelling with purpose. “You can count on me.”
“I know I can,” she said, beginning to step toward the other alphas that were making their way to the front of the boat. “I’ll see you both soon.”
Eren watched Mikasa walk away until she was engulfed by the crowd of older, taller alphas. For a moment, he felt fear attempt to enter his mind. He shut his eyes and all he could see was his mother dying, again, and he was alone.
Eren opened his eyes and shook his head. He would be brave for Mikasa. For his mother. For Armin. He pulled Armin tightly against his chest.
“Hey, don’t cry, okay?” Eren said gently. He could be rather soothing if he wanted to be, one of the perks of being an omega. “It’s gonna be fine. They’ll probably give us some job peeling potatoes or something and we might even be sleeping under the same roof as Mikasa tonight. Don’t be scared.”
“But, Eren,” Armin lifted his head, finally ready to speak. “You’re right. What they’re doing really is strange.”
The corners of Eren’s mouth tugged into a frown. The truth was, this was one of the times he didn’t want his extremely intelligent friend to agree with him.
“The last thing they should be doing is separating omegas from their mates and families, they know we’ve just survived a Titan attack, they know we’re fragile…”
“I’m not fragile,” Eren interrupted.
Armin sighed and wiped his face with his sleeve. “You know what I mean. This scares me.”
“You don’t need to be scared,” Eren said, pretending to himself that he believed the words that he said. “I’m here. We’ll be all right.”
Armin slowly closed his mouth and curled his body against Eren’s on the side of the boat. Omegas craved contact and gentle, soothing touch, and the boys were no different than most of the others on the ship. Scattered throughout the rapidly emptying boat were pairs and triads of omegas huddled together. Eren knew they were probably all terrified of what was to come and that they had been separated from their loved ones.
And looking around him at all the terror, the fresh terror of losing all they had left after everything they’d been through, Eren’s fear turned to anger. How dare they do this to them? How dare they continue to traumatize omegas that were in shock? It was appalling!
“And now we’ll take the omegas, our last group,” the bearded alpha announced. The boat had emptied quite a bit and there were less than fifty people left. “I want you to do as the others did, line up and make your way off the boat single file. You’ll go directly into the grey building across the dock for processing. You will go to the stations one at a time and the officers will make their determinations.”
Eren frowned and looped his arm around Armin’s waist, helping his slightly smaller friend up as he stood.
“I’ll go first,” Eren told his friend, stepping in front of him in the rapidly forming line.
Armin nodded and took Eren’s hand, which he held onto as the boys slowly made their way off the boat.
They stood outside the industrial looking warehouse as the first, then second group of five omegas were escorted into the building. Eren was the next in line, first of the third group, with Armin right behind him.
“Whatever happens in here, they’ll keep us together, we’ll tell them we’re brothers,” Eren reminded his friend. Tell them your last name is Jeager. They won’t know the difference.”
Armin nodded and stared at the earth beneath him. His blue eyes were wide and he looked consumed by fear.
A tall, bald man opened the door and stepped in front of Eren. “We’ll take the next five now, hurry up,” he said impatiently, staring hard at Eren. The boy blinked rapidly, then began to step forward, with Armin stumbling behind him.
“What is this place?” Eren whispered as he entered the large building. He glanced around and at first, all he could see were military personnel standing a few feet in front of him, some behind a table with paperwork on it.
“Shut up,” the man that had brought them in barked, and he grabbed Eren by the arm. “Get your ass over here and get moving.” He began dragging Eren toward three uniformed alphas. “Don’t think because you’ve got a pretty face you get special treatment.”
“What?” Eren whispered in confusion, his eyes falling onto the alphas in front of him. They looked hungry, ravenous, even, and Eren tried to pull his arm away and dig his heels into the floor. “Wait, wait,” he sputtered, clawing at the man’s hand around his forearm. “What, what’re you gonna do? I don’t want… let me go you assholes!”
“Such an ugly mouth for such a cute thing, we can fix that though,” the man said with a smirk.
He tossed Eren easily over to the waiting alphas and one grabbed a fistful of his hair while another yanked his worn, brown pants down in one smooth motion. The third’s face was in his neck, on his scent gland, pressing his icy nose against him.
“What are you doing, let me go!” Eren screamed, struggling to get away, terrified, angry and humiliated. “Stop it! You can’t do this to me!”
He swung his arms, trying his best to make contact with one of the alphas that was accosting him, his teeth clenched as he hissed and growled.
The alpha holding him by the hair gave it a harsh tug and Eren winced in pain. “I think you were already told to shut up once, weren’t you? If we have to say it again, we’re gonna make this hurt.”
Eren felt rough, calloused hands spreading his ass and he turned his head away from the other omegas, from Armin. As if it wasn’t bad enough this was happening to him, being violated in front of an audience made it so much worse. He bit his lip to keep from speaking, from screaming, from crying, but a few stray tears dripped down his cheeks.
He felt cold fingers pressing against his entrance and he yelped. “Stop! Don’t, please!”
“He’s a virgin,” the alpha poking him told the others that were at the table taking notes. “Hasn’t had a heat yet. Heat is not imminent, but,” he paused, pressing against Eren’s hole again, “probably could be coaxed. He’s tight and dry, but not completely firm.”
Eren felt like he was about to be sick. Never in a million years had he imagined some strange alphas would be touching him and talking about him this way. He was completely at their mercy and it infuriated and terrified him. He’d thought the Titans had taken away his ability to control his own life, that was bad enough, but for humanity to do this, to be the ones de-humanizing him, it was shattering.
“Butterick,” one of the alphas called from the table to the man with his nose in Eren’s neck below and behind his ear, “Can you confirm what Adams found?”
“Yes,” Butterick called, taking another long, tortuously slow inhale. “He definitely hasn’t been claimed and I am picking up on some sweetness, but it’s not overpowering.”
“All right then,” the man from the table said. “Give him a purple collar and toss him in one of the cages, Stevenson.”
“Cages? What cages? You’re not putting me in any cage! I’m a human being, you can’t do that to me,” Eren screamed as his pants were yanked up roughly and a purple leather collar with metal rings was fastened around his neck. He attempted to claw it off, but it was no use.
The alpha that had never let go of his hair, Stevenson, dragged him by his hair deeper into the warehouse. It hurt like hell and Eren stumbled next to him, whimpering.
“It didn’t have to be this way, if you didn’t have such a smart mouth, I could have held your hand,” Stevenson said with a chuckle. “But if you want to be a bitch, you’ll learn real quick where that will get you around here. We eat little shit heads like you for lunch.”
Eren could barely get a look at the other omegas that were in individual cages as he was dragged down the line of them. They were all silent and staring at him with wide, terrified eyes.
“You think I’ll make it easy for you? You’re a monster! I’ll fight all of you, even if it kills me,” Eren yelled with raw emotion.
“It’ll just make it that much more fun for us to break you,” Stevenson said haughtily, kicking open the door to a metal cage and tossing Eren roughly inside. The boy hit the floor hard and cried out, scrambling to get up and press against the metal bars of his cage as soon as he regained his composure. He ripped off his old, worn shoes and tossed them as hard as he could at Stevenson.
“You bastard! Let us go!” he screamed to the man’s back.
The alpha walked away, leaving Eren to shake the door of his confines. The cage was small, only tall enough for him to sit up in and not even long enough for him to fully stretch his body if he tried to lie down. The floor of the cage was solid metal, with metal bars on all sides and the top, leaving him no privacy or even a remote feeling of being hidden and secure. The metal was colder than the cool air inside the warehouse and it shot right to his bones and made them ache.
He shook against the door and let out a mangled sob. It was locked and wouldn’t budge.
“Why aren’t you trying?” he screamed to the other omegas. “Don’t you want to get out of here? Don’t you care about your freedom? We’re not animals! Don’t lay down and die!”
Not one omega answered his calls. His face fell against the bars and he cried.
All his life he’d rejected that he would ever be someone’s omega, that he’d be their mate and have their babies and be some cute little family. But now, maybe that didn’t seem quite so bad anymore. It sure seemed a lot better than being raped by strangers that didn’t see him as anything more than…
He cried and his knuckles turned white from squeezing the bars so tightly.
We’re nothing more than animals to them. Thrown in cages. To be used for whatever they want.
It was everything he already hated about his existence, amplified.
Eren’s sobs quieted some as he saw Armin being guided to the empty cage beside him. There was a small comfort in seeing his friend and he was grateful for that slight familiarity. Just as Stevenson had said, Armin was being walked to his cage with just the alpha’s hand resting on his shoulder. Armin wasn’t trying to fight him off or run away. He was being cooperative. Armin always had been the smart one, Eren thought to himself.
Armin crawled into the cage and Eren noticed the strange expression on his friend’s face. He looked distant, like he was lost in his own thoughts, and Eren waited until Stevenson had gone before turning to the blond and asking him what had happened.
“They examined me,” Armin said softly, staring past Eren at nothing.
“And?” asked Eren, his nose crinkling. “What?”
Armin was quiet for a moment, then whispered, “They said my heat is coming. Soon. Really soon.”
It was then that Eren noticed Armin’s collar was a different color, pink. The colors were obviously some kind of coding system.
“Armin, I’m so sorry,” Eren said back, his heart sinking for his friend. “Maybe Mikasa will get us out of here before it starts. I bet she will.”
Armin finally looked Eren in the eyes. “And what if she doesn’t? Then what happens to me?”
Eren swallowed past the lump forming in his throat. “I… I don’t know,” he admitted. “But, I’m gonna try and get us both out of here before that happens.”
“But, Eren, they have us locked up in cages. You can’t possibly get us out of here.”
“No,” Eren said, glancing around, “these cages have to be temporary. I’ll figure something out. You’ll see.”
Stevenson walked past the boys, guiding another omega toward an empty cage. Eren glared at him, determined to find a way out.
He noticed Armin perk up as a door opened and turned to see two men enter the room. One, he could see was high ranking but he did not recognize, but the other…
“Armin!” he whispered excitedly. “Do you know who that is? It’s Captain Levi Ackerman!” Eren could barely hide his admiration for the leader of the Survey Corps. He had looked up to the man for years and had spent so many nights laying in bed and dreaming of what it would be like to join his team, fight the Titans and see the world outside of the walls. Levi was shorter than most of the alphas, but was humanity’s strongest and most talented soldier, few even being able to come close to rivaling his Titan kill count. He had black hair that hung down to his ears and buzzed short on the lower half of his head in an undercut style, intense grey eyes with a furrow beneath them, which showed his age despite an otherwise young appearance, and an athletic body that even with his khaki colored military uniform covering him was obviously tight and firm with muscle.
“He’s going to save us, Armin! Levi’s a hero,” Eren said, his voice trailing off as he tried to listen to the conversation between the two men walking toward the cages.
“We have a few really beautiful ones,” the brown haired stranger stated. “Several are virgins that haven’t started their heats, but are close. We were instructed to let your team have first pick as a reward for your recent work, then of course the rest of the military can have a look.”
Levi merely grunted in response, not bothering to look at the row of cages he was walking past.
“Whatever omegas we have left after that will be put up for auction in the city. There are a few that are less than desirable, but some drunk might pay something for them and take them off our hands.”
Levi didn’t respond, nor did his facial expression change in the slightest from the stoic frown that was his trademark.
“You might want to have a look at them,” the officer said, trailing off as Levi gave him a dark look. “Or not. Whatever you’d like, sir.”
When Levi was stepping in front of his cage, Eren knew it was his chance to free himself, his friend and the other omegas.
“Captain!” He shouted, leaping to the front of his cage and grabbing the bars. “Levi, tell them to let us go!”
Levi stopped and turned to stare at Eren. He stood frozen, his grey eyes narrowed and fixed on Eren’s. Eren’s lip twitched and he dropped his head just slightly. The boy swallowed and continued, now that he had the older man’s attention.
“You have to tell them to let us go. My friend will be starting his first heat soon, he can’t go through that here,” Eren said, his hands gripping the bars in front of him tightly. No matter how scared he was, he would fight and be strong for Armin. His friend needed him more than ever and he wasn’t going to let him down.
Levi stood silent and Eren couldn’t read him. Was he angry that these idiots had thrown all of the omegas into cages when he was constantly going outside the wall and fighting for their collective freedom?
Finally, the captain spoke. “Release him,” he said lowly, nodding slightly toward Eren, his shiny black hair grazing against his sharp cheek bones from the movement.
The boy let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, and his expression changed to a wide, toothy grin of relief.
“Of course, sir,” the other man said, waving to Stevenson, who had the keys. “You heard the captain, let him out.”
Eren turned his head to Armin and beamed at his friend. He knew he would be able to save him. Armin was expressionless, watching the scene before him unfold and taking it all in.
The lock fell from Eren’s cage and he swung the door open and scrambled out and toward Levi. “Thank…” he started, his words being cut off as Levi grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him toward him. The man’s eyes narrowed and bore into Eren’s, and the boy’s jaw dropped and trembled. Levi was strong, much stronger than Eren had even realized, and he was holding him up by his grip on his shirt. His toes were barely scraping on the floor.
“Listen you shitty little brat,” Levi growled, “You don’t tell me what to do. I don’t take orders from you.”
Eren whimpered and kicked his feet a bit, trying to gain traction so he could stand on his own. “I’m… I’m sorry, Levi, it’s just…”
Levi glared and lifted Eren up higher and swung him around. He took a few strides and then slammed the boy’s back into the wall, effectively knocking the wind from his lungs.
“You don’t call me ‘Levi,’ omega, you call me ‘captain’ or ‘sir’,” he brought his face close to the boy’s who was squirming and gasping for air between him and the wall. “You’re a disrespectful little shit.”
Eren’s eyes shook and began to fill with tears. Since he was a small boy, he’d had nothing but admiration for the captain. He wanted to be on his team and work side by side with him. As if losing his freedom and dignity that afternoon hadn’t been enough, now he was being berated by his hero.
“I’m sorry, sir, please forgive my rudeness, I was worried for my friend… I wasn’t thinking,” he whispered, his slight breath mingling with Levi’s and his frozen nose brushing against the captain’s.
Levi stared into his eyes for what felt like forever. Eren wondered if he was ever going to let him down, if he was going to slam him into the wall again for being such a brat or beat the shit out of him. It had to be what the captain was considering, he reasoned. He was probably deciding whether Eren had learned his lesson or if he needed to be punished more severely. Although Eren had tried to hang onto his pride and hold back his tears, one spilled from each of his eyes and ran down his dirty face, leaving a trail behind them.
The captain’s eyes flickered away from Eren’s and he followed the streaks on the boy’s face, his mouth in a tight and unreadable line. He stopped pressing Eren against the wall and turned, using the boy’s shirt to drag him back to his cage and tossing him back inside of it like a broken doll.
“Tag him,” Levi said to Stevenson. “I have shit I need to take care of.”
Stevenson, already locking Eren’s cage, nodded to the captain. “Yes, sir.” He pulled a shiny, circular, light blue metallic tag from his pocket and reached inside the boy’s cage and grabbed him by his collar.
Eren was still on all fours, trying to collect himself, and choked when Stevenson yanked his collar and pulled his neck to the side of the cage. Eren’s arms flailed as he tried to get his balance so he could breathe, and Stevenson affixed the tag to one of the metal rings of his collar. Once he had finished, he shoved the boy to the floor of his cage.
Eren collapsed onto the metal floor, rolling to his side and curling up into himself and hiding his face in his hands. He was so humiliated, so hurt, he wanted to disappear. What was worse, he’d been marked. He was probably going to be sent someplace terrible, perhaps back to where he’d come from, to be food for the Titans since he was such a poor excuse for an omega. And it cut so deeply that of all people, Levi had been the one to make the order.
“Eren, are you okay?” Armin whispered softly after all of the men had walked away.
The boy didn’t answer. What could he say? That he was far from okay and fairly certain he’d been sentenced to death by his hero? How would that be of any comfort to Armin? What difference would it make to worry his friend, it wouldn’t get him out of the situation he’d gotten himself into.
Armin left his friend alone with his thoughts, and they were silent in their respective cages for quite some time before another one of the high ranking members of the military came though. Eren was still curled up on his cage floor with his face covered when footsteps stopped in front of Armin’s cage.
“Hello there,” a man’s voice said gently.
“Hi,” Eren heard his friend answer softly.
“You must be freezing,” the man started, “would you like to come with me, we could go someplace warm and talk?”
Eren felt his insides seize up. Was this it? Was some creep about to take his friend and do who knows what with him?
“Yes, I’d… I’d like that, sir,” Armin said, much to Eren’s surprise. The boy rolled over and sat up to glare at his friend. Didn’t he understand what this jerk wanted?
Armin didn’t look scared. Far from it, really. He was transfixed on the man outside his cage, and he looked… surprised.
Eren turned to see who the scumbag was, and his jaw dropped when he saw commander Erwin Smith squatting in front of his friend’s cage.
I can’t believe it. This goes all the way up to the commander. They’re all in on it, every last one of them. And he wants Armin.
Eren watched as the tall, muscular blond man worked at the lock on Armin’s cage until it clicked. He opened the door and held his hand out to the petite, blond boy.
“Come,” he said, and Armin reached out to place his small, cold hand into the commander’s. Erwin placed his other hand on top of Armin’s, clasping them around the boy’s hand. “You’re so cold,” he said with what Eren believed had to be fake sympathy. “Let’s get you something warm to drink.”
The commander helped Armin climb out of the cage, and once the boy was out, Erwin shed his brown military jacket and draped it over the boy’s shoulders. He bent down and rubbed Armin’s arms and smiled at him.
“I’ll take good care of you, sweetheart,” he said, placing a hand between Armin’s shoulders to guide him away from the cages. Armin looked over his shoulder and saw Eren staring at him, and he looked back to Erwin.
“But, Eren,” he whispered.
Erwin brushed a hand through Armin’s long hair, pausing briefly to rub the ends of it between his fingers and smile.
“He’ll be taken care of,” the commander told him, cupping the boy’s face in his hand. “Trust me.”
Eren clenched his teeth. He’d be taken care of all right. When he was tossed to the Titans as bait or passed around a bunch of rowdy alphas like a chew toy until he was completely worn out and needed to be disposed of.
“O-Okay,” Armin said softly, leaning his face into Erwin’s hand and shutting his eyes.
Eren’s nose wrinkled and his eyes narrowed.
What the hell is wrong with him?
For a moment, Eren considered calling out to his friend. Telling him to run, to get away from him, to find Mikasa. But then it hit him.
He’s smart. He’ll get the commander’s trust and then he’ll save us all.
Eren tried to force a calm expression, though it came out as pained and awkward, and he waved to his friend. Armin saw him and waved back, then let the commander guide him from the room.
He wanted to have faith and believe in his friends. Armin and Mikasa both had to be working right at this moment to save them. While, of course, he sat useless in a cage.
He wanted to believe that he wasn’t really as alone as he felt at that moment, but he couldn’t convince himself it was true. Even the strongest omegas had their breaking points.
Eren had lost his parents, Mikasa and now Armin. He was officially completely alone for the first time in his life. And he’d been marked to be sent someplace terrible.
He dropped his head against the bars in the front of his cage and tears spilled from his eyes onto the cold metal floor. He felt like his life was over before it had even started.
Other alphas from the military began coming through the warehouse, stopping at cages and some asking for omegas to be released to them. Eren watched as many of them left the warehouse with alphas and knew he would probably never see any of them again.
Several alphas stopped at his cage, then walked away after they caught sight of the tag hanging from his collar.
Eren wondered if he’d made a mistake. If he should have kept his big mouth shut and gone willingly with one of the alphas and tried to escape later. He was too impulsive; he should have thought it through and been more calculated like Armin was.
One man, an alpha with dark hair and eyes that Eren didn’t recognize, stopped at his cage and stared at him longer than any of the others.
“Aw baby,” he said, looking down at Eren, who had his back pressed against the bars of the back of his cage and his legs up against his chest with his arms wrapped around them. “You have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. I wish you weren’t tagged.”
“Me too,” Eren admitted, regretting everything. If he’d just played along, he could be leaving that freezing warehouse right now with this man. He’d probably get to have a warm meal and sit by a fire. But, Eren had to be stupid and run his mouth like always.
The man frowned at Eren’s response, and he grabbed Stevenson as he was walking by. “This one,” he said, holding his hand out to Eren, “He’s so unhappy. I think he’d like to go with me. Is his tag negotiable?”
Stevenson snorted and raised an eyebrow. “Negotiable? He was tagged by Captain Ackerman.”
“Oh,” the brown haired man said, disappointment heavy in his voice. “Take care, beautiful,” he said to Eren, before walking away toward the few cages that still held omegas.
Eren’s head fell against his knees and he started to sob. His entire body shook and he tried to curl inside himself.
“Not so tough now, are you,” Stevenson said with a smile in his voice as he walked away.
That was it. That had been his last chance. And maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad. The man seemed nice enough.
Nice enough? What the hell is wrong with me?
Eren cried harder. He’d rather just die now. He’d rather them use him as bait while he still had a shred of his dignity left, instead of whatever other horrific punishment they might have in store for him.
His mind flashed back to when he’d saved Mikasa from the traffickers and he knew there were fates that were worse than going home tonight with some strange alpha that needed a mate. He curled up inside his brown sweater, that along with the old green shirt he wore underneath it did barely anything to shut out the cold.
“Are you done now?” a voice asked with a bored tone.
Eren lifted his head and saw Levi standing in front of his cage, staring at him with the same, expressionless face.
He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater, smearing the dirt that clung to the fabric onto his already muddied face.
“Did you come back just to taunt me?” Eren asked, his body betraying his attempt at a show of strength, still shaking roughly and tears stubbornly falling from his eyes.
“Taunt you?” Levi snorted. “It’s late. I’ve come to collect you. I’m tired,” he said flatly.
Levi bent down, opening the lock with a key he must have gotten from Stevenson.
“I hope you’re not going to be a pain in the ass about this,” he muttered, opening the cage door.
“You… you want me to… to just g-go with you?” Eren asked incredulously.
Levi cocked his head. “Yes,” he said with annoyance.
Eren swallowed and tried to catch his breath. What options did he have? If he resisted, Levi would grab him and pull him from the cage and probably kick his ass for being an even bigger headache. No matter what, he would be going wherever the captain demanded. He was one of the strongest alphas humanity had ever known.
Slowly, the boy crawled out of the cage and stood in front of Levi. Although Levi was shorter than most of the alphas, he still towered over Eren. He looked up at the captain, his hands fisted at his sides, in a false show of strength to hide his terror at what was to happen to him.
Levi sighed and pulled a chain from one of his pockets. It was rather thin and light, and Levi affixed it to Eren’s collar.
“What’s this for?” Eren asked, not remembering seeing any of the other omegas leave the warehouse on a leash.
The captain tugged on it lightly to make sure it was secure and muttered, “To protect you in case you decide to do something stupid again, like run.”
Eren narrowed his eyes. As if attempting to be free was stupid.
Levi took a step toward the door and glanced back to the omega over his shoulder.
“Well, am I going to have to drag you back to my room, or do your legs work?”
Eren’s head started spinning and he felt his stomach knot up.
Captain Levi is taking me to his room? He’s bringing me home with him???
“Your… your room?” he asked, his voice cracking and giving away his anxiety.
Levi’s nose crinkled and he squinted his eyes. “Of course, where else do you think I’d be taking you, the fucking moon?”
“N-no…” Eren said shakily, “I just… I didn’t realize…”
Levi’s eyes bore into the boy’s. He stared at him for what felt like an eternity to Eren, and finally shook his head and started walking. “Let’s go.”
Eren sucked his lower lip into his mouth and began to follow Levi toward the door. He was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions and was having a harder time than ever keeping himself in check. He was terrified he was leaving the warehouse with an alpha, but on the other hand he was going home with Levi, the man that until that afternoon had been his hero.
Does this mean Levi has chosen me to be his omega?
He didn’t know how to feel about it. It was so shocking, and after everything he’d been through that day, he wasn’t able to process it.
Levi opened the door and the icy wind whipped into the warehouse, causing Eren to jump and the captain to turn to look at him. His eyes scanned over Eren’s dirty, meagerly clothed body, and he looked intensely displeased.
“What… what is it?” Eren asked, shivering.
“You’re filthy,” the captain muttered, shedding his jacket and handing it to Eren. “Here, put it on. You can wash it for me tomorrow.”
“Um…” Eren glanced at the warm, military issued jacket that was in his hands. It was several sizes too large and immaculately clean in spite of being worn all day. “Thanks,” he said quietly, slipping his arms into the tan jacket and wrapping them around his chest. The sleeves were so long his hands didn’t reach out the arm holes, and it smelled so much like alpha, like Levi, that Eren felt his head buzzing.
“Where are your shoes?” Levi asked.
“Oh,” Eren looked down at his frozen bare feet. “I threw them at one of the men earlier.”
Levi snorted and shook his head. “That was real smart. You spend your whole day bitching that you want to run off and you throw your fucking shoes? How far did you think you’d get barefoot?”
Eren pulled his jacket covered hands up to his face and discreetly sniffed the fabric. “I don’t know. I guess I wasn’t thinking,” he said softly.
“You seem to do that a lot,” Levi muttered, bending down and scooping Eren up into his arms. The boy startled and grabbed at Levi’s neck, his eyes wide.
“What are you doing?” He asked, gawking at the alpha.
Levi raised an eyebrow with annoyance. “Carrying you home. You don’t expect to walk all the way without shoes do you?”
“Oh,” Eren mumbled, tightening his grip around Levi’s neck as the older man began to walk. “But, aren’t I heavy?” he asked.
“No, you’re not,” Levi sneered. “I might not be as tall as Erwin, but I’m not any less strong.”
Eren cringed and felt his heart sink. He really was terrible at being an omega, as if he didn’t need anymore proof of it. He’d just insulted the man that was…
He’s my alpha?
Eren shut his eyes and curled toward Levi, hiding his face in the man’s white uniform shirt. It was too much. He couldn’t handle losing his friends and family and becoming someone’s omega so suddenly all in the same day. It would have taken him a considerable amount of time and energy to deal with any one of those things, but all of it at once?
The boy let out a broken sob against Levi and the man sighed and adjusted his arms, moving one up Eren’s back to cradle Eren’s head against his chest in his hand. He tightened his grip on Eren as he cried, silently carrying him the rest of the way back to the officer’s barracks that housed his room.
Eren quieted when Levi opened the door and set him down. The room was moderately sized, having enough space for most of the necessary pieces of furniture one needed to live, but was still cozy. There was a stone fireplace against one wall and across from it a bed that was larger than Eren recalled his parents’ bed being. There was a desk to one side of the fireplace and beside that, a bookcase filled with books that were perfectly organized by size and color. Across from that were shelves that held an impressive supply of food, some of which Eren didn’t even recognize, and a small table with two comfortable looking chairs. On the other side of the fireplace, there was a door that Eren suspected led to the washroom. The bed itself was impressive, made of sturdy cherry wood and covered with a fluffy white duvet that looked softer than anything the boy thought he’d ever seen. The entire room was immaculate and every item was in perfect order.
He didn’t realize he was standing at the entrance and gaping rudely at the room until Levi pulled him by his arm away from the door so he could shut it and lock it behind them. Eren shook his head slightly, he was doing a great job of making a fool of himself.
The alpha unfastened the collar from his neck and Eren brought his frozen hands up to massage the bruised and chafed skin.
“Go take a bath,” Levi said flatly, nodding toward the door beside the fireplace that Eren had assumed was the bathroom. “You’re filthy. I set out clothes in there for you to sleep in. Starting tomorrow the laundry will be your responsibility, and I expect you to do it to my standards.”
Eren blinked at the captain’s bluntness and began to stagger toward the door. “O-Okay…” he said meekly.
“And make sure you use soap and scrub your hair,” Levi said, turning to his desk and rifling through some papers.
Eren nodded and mumbled, “of course,” making his way into the bathroom. The room, again, was moderately sized for what it was, and impeccably kept. There was a toilet, a sink with a small counter and cabinet, and a claw foot tub with a shower attachment. As strange as it was, it was nicer than the bathroom he’d had at home, and he wondered if all of the officers had such nice rooms or if Levi had spent money enhancing his own.
He turned on the tub and went to wash his hands at the sink as it filled, his mind blank for a few moments as he stared at his dirty reflection looking back at him in the mirror that hung above the sink.
I guess he wasn’t just being an ass, I really am a mess.
He sighed and dried his hands on a crisp white towel that hung on the back of the door and then casually picked up the clothing on the counter beside the sink to see what it was.
Not more than a few seconds later, he’d burst back into the main room, startling Levi as he waved the white garment in front of him.
“I’m not wearing this,” Eren hissed, shaking the clothing in anger. “These clothes are for girls and I am not a girl.”
Levi glared at the boy, taking heavy steps toward him and rapidly closing the space between them, then grabbing Eren’s hand that held the clothing. He tightened his grip on the boy’s wrist and lowered his face so it was nearly against Eren’s.
“You’re an omega and in these parts what I have chosen for you is perfectly acceptable for an omega to wear,” he spat. “You will wear the clothes I have so kindly gotten for you, or you’ll wear nothing at all.”
Eren fought the instinct to cower away from the alpha and dug his heels in, glaring back at Levi, his eyes shaking.
“We’re not all the same!” Eren snapped, his body beginning to tremble. “I’m not like the other omegas you know. I don’t like being bossed around by alphas that think I’m their bitch and I don’t like frilly clothes! I don’t like anything about being an omega at all and if that’s what you want from me, you’re gonna be really disappointed!”
Levi grabbed Eren’s arm and pulled him even closer until their noses pressed together and his heated breath tickled against the boy’s mouth.
“What I’m disappointed by is your willful ignorance and disrespect,” he growled lowly. “I’ve given you a warm place to sleep and a clean change of clothes. And you want to lecture me about what kind of omega you think you are? Complain to me that what I’ve given you isn’t up to your standards? Tell me how I’m supposed to treat you when you’re a guest in my home?” he snorted. “And here I thought princesses loved frilly things.”
Eren’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment and he shut his eyes.
Maybe everyone is right about me after all. Maybe I really am a brat.
“I’ll wear it,” he mumbled, trying to pull his wrist away from the captain’s grasp. “I’m… I’m sorry, okay, I’m sorry for complaining about the clothes.”
Levi dropped his wrist and stalked back to his desk. “Get in the bath before it overflows, would you?”
Eren nodded and sulked back to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him and leaning against it. Was he wrong to tell Levi that he didn’t want to wear the clothes? Was he being ungrateful?
He frowned and sighed. There was a part of him that wanted Levi to like him. It was an awkward feeling, because he wasn’t sure if it was because he’d looked up to Levi for so long or if it was because he was possibly his alpha. Eren never wanted to be one of those omegas whose world revolved around pleasing some alpha. He never wanted to have an alpha at all. He wanted to be like the alphas that went outside the wall and fought the Titans. Not the one waiting at home to identify a body.
He peeled off his dirty clothes, dropping them into the hamper and stepping into the warm tub. The bath had been a good idea for more than cleanliness. He had been frozen straight to the bones and the water was finally permeating his body with warmth.
Eren dipped his head back, letting the water swirl around his hair and his body float.
What’s going to happen to me tonight? Will he expect sex? What if I can’t?
He swallowed and shut his eyes tightly. He was emotionally and physically exhausted and the thought that the night might just be beginning for him made him feel like crying all over again.
Maybe I’m not strong at all. I can’t even handle one night with an alpha.
Eren was fairly certain that Levi would be taking him back to the warehouse in the morning. Even if he hadn’t been through hell that day, he doubted he’d live up to the expectations that someone like Levi probably had for their omega. That Levi was as old as he was, not to mention as successful and talented, and didn’t already have a mate said a lot about him and his standards.
He probably just brought me home for a night of fun with some pathetic virgin.
As he grabbed for the soap and began to lather it through his hair, he wondered how he’d feel in the morning. The thought of being used made his stomach sour and he knew that it would be that much harder to ever find an alpha, if he ever decided he wanted one.
He picked me because he wants to shame me for my attitude. This is my punishment.
He rinsed off the soap, a frown etched deeply into his face. He had made his bed and he had to be as brave as he wanted everyone to believe he was and accept the consequences. No matter how scared he really was.
He stepped out of the bath, draping one of the large, white bath towels around his body and disappearing inside of it. Eren had always assumed that if he did hook up with an alpha, his first time would definitely be during a heat. He hadn’t, not even for a second, thought about losing his virginity before his heats even began.
Eren rubbed the towel through his hair, doing his best to remove all of the water, and looked down at the white clothing that sat on the counter. He took in a long, slow breath and picked up the bottom piece.
The tiny white cotton shorts had loose elastic around the leg holes, giving them ruffles. He looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. He was going to look ridiculous.
He stepped into the shorts and sighed, ruffling a hand into his damp hair. They were surprisingly comfortable, the fabric being much softer and finer than anything he was used to wearing, and he thought that maybe if he tried not to think about it, it wouldn’t be too bad wearing this thing that Levi had obviously chosen as a punishment.
Eren picked up the top and slowly slipped it over his head, turning to inspect it on his body in the mirror after he’d finished. It was made of a soft, white lace, with sleeves that went to his elbows and puffed just slightly at the end from the elastic band inside. He traced his fingers across the front of it, which ran just below his collar bone, with a few crystals spattering across the neckline. He couldn’t recall seeing anyone wear anything that sparkled that way before and for a few moments he forgot that he was staring in wonder at something he knew he loathed. He turned to his side and glanced at the back, which was open, with gentle lace ruffles down each side, gathered in a white bow between the shoulder blades to tie it together.
He paused, staring at the boy in the mirror. Was that really him? He’d never seen anything like it before, and he looked… beautiful.
Eren smoothed his hands down the front of the lace top, watching the crystals sparkle as the light bounced off of them. He had no idea he could look like this.
This must have cost him a fortune.
And his stomach flopped.
He went out of his way to give me something this beautiful to wear because he thought I’d like it and I threw it in his face and insulted him.
The boy’s face fell. Everything he did was wrong.
He stalled in the bathroom as long as he thought he could get away with it, eventually twisting the knob and stepping timidly back into the main room.
The room was well lit by the fire and candles set up about the room. It was warmer than it had been when they’d first come in and there was a softer, homier feel about the space.
Eren looked to the bed and saw Levi laying in it. The alpha was holding an open book with one hand, but his eyes were fixed on the boy standing in front of the bathroom door. He set the book into his lap, watching Eren as he played with his hands and shuffled his feet before finally speaking, “Are you going to stand there all night or get in bed?”
“Um, w-with you?” Eren asked, blood rushing to his cheeks.
Levi raised an eyebrow and the corner of his mouth ticked up. “I don’t see any other bed in here, do you?”
“No,” Eren said nervously, glancing around the room, attempting to avoid looking directly at Levi for too long.
This is it.
“Unless you’d rather sleep on the floor,” Levi said with a shrug, lifting his book and flipping it open. “It’s up to you.”
Eren looked at the floor in front of the fireplace and then back at the bed. There was a stubborn part of him that screamed at him to curl up alone on the floor and go down fighting, but his bare feet began to slowly carry him toward the bed.
“N-no, that’s okay,” he sputtered, pulling back the heavy white comforter and slipping into the bed. His eyes widened at how soft the mattress, blankets and sheets were, and slowly he let himself sink down so he was laying at the edge of the bed with the comforter pulled up to his chin.
Levi, once again engrossed in whatever he was reading, didn’t even acknowledge that Eren had joined him in the bed.
The boy had been sure that the shirtless alpha was going to pounce on him the moment he got into the bed, and he was baffled that Levi simply laid there, reading his book as though Eren didn’t even exist.
He relaxed just slightly, feeling as though the bed was swallowing him up in a big hug. He knew that as an omega he was hyper sensitive to touch and tactile things, but he’d never quite experienced the luxury of it like he was now that he was in Levi’s room.
“What are you reading?” he asked the alpha, wiggling his face against the fluffy pillow.
Levi turned the book so the cover was to Eren.
Eren stared at it, his cheeks turning a darker red.
“What’s it called, though?” he asked the alpha hesitantly.
Levi glanced at the boy, annoyance written on his face. “I just showed you, can’t you read?”
Eren looked away, dropping his eyes to the blanket. “No,” he whispered, “I can’t.”
The alpha was silent, and Eren assumed he was wondering what he’d gotten himself into bringing him home with him. Embarrassment overwhelmed the boy and he mumbled, “I… I’ve tried to teach myself, but since I’m an omega, you know… no one thought it mattered…”
Levi stared at him, his expression blank. Eren looked back at him with watery eyes. He’d expected to be humiliated once he got into bed, but not like this.
“Roll onto your stomach,” Levi told the boy.
Eren, no longer having the energy to fight, did as the alpha asked. He rolled onto his belly, his head facing the alpha and his eyes shut.
He jumped when he felt Levi’s hand brush against his back and he squeezed his eyes tight. As much as he wanted to convince himself he was ready for anything, he knew at that moment he really wasn’t.
“You can breathe,” Levi said matter-of-factly, “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Eren took in a slow, shaky breath as he felt the alpha smoothly pull apart the ribbon that held his shirt together, allowing it to fall open on both sides. He swallowed and clenched his fists into the pillow. He knew no matter what assurances Levi made, it was going to hurt. A lot.
Levi leaned slightly in toward Eren, still sitting up in the bed. With his book in his left hand and his right arm hooked over Eren’s head, his finger tips began to lightly trail up and down the boy’s back. They barely grazed his skin, never dropping below his waist or curving around the sides of his lithe body. They simply fluttered across his back, like butterflies kissing his sensitive skin.
He shivered and Levi paused. “Do you want me to stop,” he asked, his eyes stuck in his book.
“No,” Eren heard himself whisper. He was relieved when he opened his eyes that Levi wasn’t staring at him, he was sure that his face was bright pink against the stark white sheets. The alpha’s ministrations resumed and ever so slowly, Eren began to relax. For as aggressive as Levi had been with him earlier, he hadn’t been so since he’d gotten in bed with him.
He wasn’t accustomed to being touched so much and even something as simple as having his back stroked absentmindedly by an alpha busy reading a book was making heat pool in the pit of his stomach. His skin began to tingle and his body writhed ever so slightly into the soft bed beneath him.
“I’m reading The Art of War,” Levi said suddenly, his fingers still playing across the omega’s back. “I’ve read it before, but… I keep thinking something new will jump out at me. A new approach with the Titans, with… all of it.”
Eren licked his lips and tried to focus on what the alpha was telling him. His head, his entire body was buzzing and his breathing had become short and shallow. It was Levi’s first attempt at a conversation with him and he wanted so much to ask him more about the book, but suddenly he found it difficult to think about anything but how good the alpha’s fingers felt on his back.
“Mmmph,” he squeaked out unexpectedly, and Levi finally lowered the book to look down at him. His eyes darted around the boy’s face and body, and then he flattened his hand against his back and patted it lightly.
“We’ll go to sleep now,” he told him, shutting his book and moving away from Eren so he could slide out of the bed and return it to it’s place in the bookcase. He extinguished most of the candles, leaving the room in a soft glow from the fire, but dark enough for sleep.
Eren watched the alpha’s every move and his hand slid away from his pillow to the side of the bed where Levi had been laying. He gripped the sheet tightly, a strange anxiety coming over him.
“Heicho,” he murmured, catching the eyes of the shirtless alpha that stood too far away from him.
Levi looked gorgeous standing in the light of the fire, and Eren wondered how he’d never noticed it before. Had he? Was it something he had forced himself to ignore? Was it why he had become so focused on him? Did he admire Levi for more than his courage?
The alpha’s body was perfection. Every muscle chiseled and developed, but not making him bulky. His sharp facial features and cheek bones were accented by his black hair and steel grey eyes. Though he was expressionless as usual, somehow he looked softer to Eren at the moment and the boy realized he wanted the alpha to come back to bed, to him, more than anything. It was all he could think about.
They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity to Eren. He couldn’t understand why Levi wasn’t coming to him, why he’d stopped.
Eren couldn’t recall his body ever feeling so good.
His eyes dropped to the tight, black boxer briefs that clung to Levi’s body and the fear he’d felt while alone the bathroom slipped away. Seeing the alpha naked might not be so terrible after all.
Levi finally moved for the bed and climbed under the blankets. Eren grinned lazily, his smile out of place on such a tragic day, and reached out to place his fingers on the alpha’s chest. He scooted a bit closer to Levi, spreading his small hand on the man’s chest and feeling the thump of his heart pulse through him. Levi looked down at the boy’s hand and took it into his own, moving his body closer to Eren’s and then placing the omega’s hand on the small of his back. He tipped Eren’s chin up and looked down at the hazy eyed boy.
“You’ve had an exhausting day,” he murmured. “You should sleep.”
Eren was confused. Levi had brought him back to his room, but for what? He had warmed up to the idea of the alpha touching him, wasn’t that what Levi wanted?
His body was still humming for more stimulation and groaned softly, “Sleep? That’s what you want?”
The alpha brushed his hand into Eren’s hair, cupping the back of his head with his hand and looking thoughtful for a moment. “I know the things you saw today, what you lost. Most people around here won’t understand, but I do.” He paused, taking in Eren’s watery, wide turquoise eyes. “I want you to sleep.”
The boy nodded slightly, his stomach clenching.
My mother .
Levi pulled him against his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around him and dropping his face into his hair. He held him securely and nuzzled his face into Eren’s hair. The sob that the boy had been so sure he was about to let out was replaced by the feeling of warmth again and he shut his eyes and clung to the alpha’s back. His small body being engulfed by an alpha overwhelmed his senses and it gave him a profound level of comfort. It was something that he’d always stuck his nose up at before, that an alpha could have such an effect on the physiology of an omega, but experiencing it himself solidified in his mind just how real it was.
And even in the bliss of being cradled tightly against an alpha, he realized that he should be terrified. After all, his control was slipping away. The line between what he wanted and what he didn’t had been blurred considerably.
“Good night,” Levi said softly, his breath warm against Eren’s scalp.
“Good night,” the boy murmured, rubbing his cheek against the alpha’s chest.
And although the horror of what Eren had been through that day and the fear of what was to come should have kept him up all night, he quickly fell sound asleep, curled up in Levi’s arms.