Mike wrinkled his nose as he ground a fresh batch of coffee beans, the harsh scent assaulting his sensitive nose even with the medicine he had taken earlier to dull his nose. Still, he couldn't really complain. Coffee was one of the few scents he actually enjoyed more often than not, no matter how strong it was. It was different. And it helped clear the nose of some more… unsavory scents.

He stirred the grounds around, inspecting closely to ensure that they were finely crushed before he poured them into one of the nearly empty containers. "Thanks, Mike," Marco breathed with a relieved sigh as he scooped some out and dumped it into the coffee machine.

A line of customers had formed, fairly long considering it was well before noon. Then again, some people were desperate for a coffee fix and they were strategically placed in a busy district. That and the shop had some of the best coffee Mike had ever tasted. Not to mention that Christa, the little blonde patissier, made some splendid pastries and other sweets. Things may have been a little expensive but everything was made with care and made well, not the instant-coffee and frozen-goods bullshit like some stores did.

"Mike!" Hugo called from across the shop, "Can you take this to table seven?"

He dipped his head and took the order - two large lattes, a bottle of chilled strawberry milk, and two chocolate chip cookies - to a family of three with a little girl who grinned at him and giggled when he smiled back before he headed back.

That was how mornings and afternoons in the cafe passed. They were a bit repetitive - grind coffee beans, take orders to seated customers, make various types of coffees or teas, or take orders - but they were good. It wasn't exactly easy work but it was good. Comforting. Something he genuinely enjoyed doing more often than not, even when customers were total assholes.

Mike moved through the motions with ease, depositing trays of food and drinks before customers, sometimes making small talk with them if they really wanted to, carefully making drinks, and more. There wasn't really a rigid "you to do this, not that" mindset in the workplace.

Most of everyone who worked at the cafe could do everything except for Christa and Ymir's job, though Thomas was atrocious when it came to making a halfway decent cup coffee. One that met the standards of the cafe anyway. Still, they were flexible in what they did and as such the pay was excellent. Far better than it would have been had Mike chosen to work at Starbucks or, heavens forbid, McDonald's.

The hours ticked by, ten slipping by to eleven, noon, one, two in the afternoon with ease that never failed to surprise Mike. Then again, once he was focused on his job everything just seemed to slip away until someone tapped his shoulder and told him that he had to go on lunch break or take a break. He was just persistent like that.

Marco passed him a tray with a small smile, another customer's order perched on it - black tea, a salad, and a cinnamon bun. "Table twelve."

"Okay."

He weaved through the crowd, easily going along the route to table twelve. A lone man with dark hair was hunched over in the chair at it, a battered but loved copy of a book cradled in his hands. There was something familiar about the way his hair was cut, the posture.

Mike sniffed as he came closer, struggling to work through the scents that filled his nose and dulled his sense to an infuriating level, even without his medicine. There was a familiar thing there, something he couldn't quite recognize. I really rely on my nose too much.

"Here you go, sir."

His head tipped, familiar silver eyes settling on Mike's face, freezing him in place with the tray in hand.. "Oh, you're fucking kidding me."

Mike gave Levi a wry smile as he set his order down with a quiet thunk. "If it's any consolation, it really was just happenstance this time."

"Coincidences suck ass."

"I guess. Ah… I have work so I won't keep you from your meal any longer."

Levi blinked up at him before Mike turned with a small smile, unsure of what to feel. The small Omega might have been rude but there was something beneath it that caught Mike's interest. A kind of softness beneath all the cactus-like prickles.

Mike slipped back behind the counter, a tiny smile curling at his lips. It was out of place enough that Marco bumped him with a grin of his own and an eyebrow waggle to which he rolled his eyes. Thankfully, none of his coworkers pried. It would be more than a little hard to explain why he was interested in a tiny Omega who seemed to hate him, or at the very least was irritated by his constant appearances in his life. Still, that was okay. Backing off wouldn't be hard. Mike understood boundaries.

He went on break after a few minutes, going outside to clear his nose rather than head into the back. The entire shop was too filled with scents to bear anymore. It was bad enough that he was getting a headache. Normally he was alright for the entirety of his shift but his nose had random bouts of extreme sensitivity. I need more pills.

He had run out of the medicine to dull his nose three nights ago but he hadn't had a chance to obtain any more since. He was too busy. That and he couldn't bear to pry himself away from his books, not when they had enraptured him so much that he could hardly stand to put them down for work. How sad. But at least it makes me happy.

Mike rubbed at his nose, scowling slightly as the shop door opened and closed, people flowing in and out, bringing the scent of the shop with them. It was infinitely more tolerable outside, able to quickly be dispersed with the fresh air. "Hey."

Blue eyes snapped down to the man who stood beside him, those cool grays locked on Mike as he slouched carelessly, the toes of one boot-clad foot prodding the ground as he stood with a hand on his cocked hip. He really couldn't do anything but stare at Levi, unsure of what to do. The Omega looked uncomfortable to say the least.

"Jesus, you're fucking huge. Anyway… um, you seem like a pretty decent guy. I'm just bad with people. I don't like Alphas either, not really, so I kinda just hate them all automatically. But… I guess you seem like a pretty decent guy so… Sorry."

Mike smiled softly and raked a hand through his hair. "It's fine. I… well, I understand why you would hate us, if not the reason. Though," his smile expanded a little, a teasing lilt entering his voice, "Are you apologizing just so I'll come back to your store and buy more books?"

Levi huffed and rolled his eyes as he straightened up, hands falling to his pockets. "Yeah, right. I just have a conscience. Can't help that you buy my shit too. I've gotta go. Can't leave it closed forever."

"That's fine. Have a good day, Levi."

"You too, Blondie."

When Mike returned to the shop he couldn't help but smile despite the ache in his nose and head. It was hard not to. It could have just been because Levi had attempted to make up for him being rude, but it certainly didn't hurt that he had seen a ghost of a smile hanging on Levi's lips before he had turned and walked away. I'll go back in a few days. Once I finish the ones at home.

Zoe, Erwin, and Mike curled up on Erwin's couch, the Beta squished between them. It was a miracle there was enough room for all of them to sit and get a little stretching room but Erwin had sought out one for that specific purpose, knowing that they would need one.

They enjoyed sitting together, something they had done since they were tiny. That and it made it easier to share the popcorn with Zoe clutching the massive bowl in her lap, one hand constantly residing in it. Thankfully she had long since passed the phase of threatening to bite when they made to get some.

"What are we watching again?"

"Erwin, I've told you three times!"

"Yes, you did, but I was also trying to make popcorn and talk to Mike and you at the same time. Not exactly easy."

"Psh, yeah right! It's easy to multitask! You silly men with your thin corpus callosums."

"Zoe… we don't need you to bring up all that you've learned in psychology."

"Of course you do, Mikey! It's fun!"

"Seriously though… what are we watching?"

Zoe sighed and stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth, chewing and dragging it out for them as she kept her eyes glued on the previews. She swallowed - thankfully - before she spoke with a grin and a light in her eyes that was a little worrying. "The Babadook!"

"Zo… isn't that a horror movie?"

"Yep!"

Erwin pressed his face into his hands and groaned. Mike reached over and patted his friend's shoulder out of sympathy. It wasn't that they were easily scared - they just didn't like horror movies. Not to the level that Zoe did anyway.

She could and would watch them day out if her work schedule allowed. She lived, breathed, and practically died by horror movies. Jump scares that would have gotten ninety percent of the population, she scoffed at. The special effects she silently judged and raged or raved over after every movie. Plot, monsters, villains, characters. Truly, Zoe was a fanatic. And even though Mike and Erwin didn't enjoy them - a historical or war movie or even a sports one was far more preferable - they always let her watch it and suffered through it.

At least the ones she picked out tended to be decent. Well, at least her horror movie picks were. Others, not so much. Like the time she had forced them to watch Rubber.

Mike glanced over at Erwin over her head. The other man met his gaze a moment later, a similar expression of exasperation and dread painted across his face. "This is your fault," he mouthed to Mike.

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head before mouthing back. "Mine? More like yours. You encouraged her, you softie."

Erwin flashed him a wry smile before turning back to soak up more of the previews before the movie started. Mike stared at him for a moment longer before looking away. Once, Erwin had been an appealing idea for a boyfriend, back before they had become friends. He was good-looking, well-off, intelligent, and bi. But that had never panned out, something Mike was eternally grateful for. He might have loved Erwin, but it was out of nothing more than the kind of love only the closest, most inseparable of friends shared. Something that bound the three of them together, kept them close through the thick and thin.

Mike settled back against the couch, mind drifting as he kept his unfocused gaze on the screen as the opening sequence began to play. In some ways, he still regretted agreeing on coming to movie night. They would have understood if he had turned it down, excuse or not. That was simply how they were. Skipping it would have given him time to finish the latest book he had purchased, a genuinely intriguing piece of literature that he itched to return to. I really should have said no. It was the last book in his stack of recent buys, the only one left to finish before he took his "book allowance" as Zoe had dubbed it long ago to go buy more.

Purchasing them at Levi's shop more likely than not. It wasn't just for the Omega, though he was a definite draw to come back. No, Mike liked the smell and feel of the place. It felt more… honest. There was just something different about it than the other bookstores he had scrounged through in search of books that would catch his interest. And Levi will be there…

He jerked in his seat, heart thumping as a loud shriek pierced the air, ripping him from his thoughts. Blue eyes snapped over above Zoe's head, met by a similar gaze. We're screwed. Zoe, oblivious to their shared gazes, laughed, throwing her head back and spilling popcorn before eagerly leaning forward, leaving her two giant blonde friends to slump back into the couch. I really hate horror movies.

Mike slunk along the street, more than a little uncomfortable at how many there were, how close they were packed in, and how their smells invaded his nose. He pushed through it anyway, eagerness driving him on. He was out of reading material - well, new material anyway. One could only reread a book so many times before it got a little old and a change was needed. Sure, he had plenty of books, but he had also read the majority of them at least five times. Maybe I read too much.

His teachers had always said that, insisting that his parents find a way to make him put down the books and socialize with his classmates from a young age. But even then he hadn't felt comfortable, too socially awkward to do much more than stand and nod, occasionally adding a few halting words. That had gotten better, his people skills at least, but the amount of reading had only increased.

It's no surprise I've only got three friends. I spend more time reading than talking. Ah, oh well. There are worse things I could be doing. Mike managed to break away from the crowd after another street, moving at a brisk pace down the mostly empty street towards his destination: Wings of Freedom. It wouldn't be too much further, just another two streets to cross and he'd be there.

Mike passed by a coffee shop, the delectable aromas nearly drawing him in, but he marched on, too impatient to wait. Coffee and a sweet could wait. Books could not. Especially since a new novel in a series he immensely enjoyed had come out. That had to be obtained immediately and, with hope, Levi would have it in his stock. Then again, he had seen the others in the series lining the shelves, so the chances of having the newest book would be quite high. Unless a large crowd of people had bought all of the copies he had. The thought urged Mike to walk faster, bouncing on his toes impatiently at the first stoplight, nearly jaywalking in his desperation to get to the shop a little quicker.

He was halfway across the street when he smelled it. The faint tickle of pheromones.

Ones of pain and distress.

Blue eyes snapped up and scanned the street as he walked a little faster and stopped on the other side, close some trinket shop as he breathed in deep, letting the scents wash over his tongue.

The scent of people assaulted him first, a mixture of heavy perfumes, colognes, and other, far less appealing bodily odors. Bakeries, diners, and other such shops, their aromas permeating the air and mixing with the scent of gasoline and rubber. And beneath it all, the faint distressed pheromones, a familiar tinge to them. They washed over his tongue, settling there for a moment before it clicked: Levi.

He lurched into movement, no longer walking but not quite running either. He followed his nose, uncertain of whether it emanated from the shop or not, though he ended up on the steps, the scent strong as it leaked through the cracks in the door. Mike jerked the door open, attempting to be gentle at least as he stepped in and closed it behind him. It was overwhelming, the heavy reek of pain filling every corner of the shop.

"Shit! Ah, fucking… who's there?"

"Mike."

"Perfect." The word was laced with sarcasm and pain, that familiar bite sharper than normal. The blonde Alpha slunk forward slowly, uncertain if Levi wanted him there but instincts driving him to help. Levi might not have been his Omega but he was hurt, and that was all that mattered in the end. "Shit!"

At those hissed words Mike moved, throwing doubts to the wind as he headed further into the shop, off to the historical side of the shop. Levi was slumped against one of the bookshelves, pheromones pouring off him in thick waves as he glanced up at Mike and winced. "Levi… what happened?"

The Omega shook his head, a fierce snarl curling at his lips, though it didn't seem to be directed at anyone in particular. "I fucking fell while cleaning shelves. Twisted my ankle, I think. Either way, I can't fucking walk Trust me, I tried. Probably fucked my leg up even more." He shook his head and huffed, irritation flashing across his fine features. "Bloody hell… I can't run the shop like this."

"I… I could take you to the doctor. if you don't mind I mean."

Silver eyes flicked back up to him, filled with pain and guarded. Small pale hands clenched and he shifted his legs slightly, immediately hissing and digging his nails into his hands as another wave of pheromones filled the air.

Mike crouched down, moving on instinct as his arms encircled Levi, one going around his back while the other hooked beneath his knees. He rose with ease despite the fact that Levi was heavier than he looked, though not enough that it hindered him. he smells nice. Beneath the heavy pheromones there was the scent of raspberries, vanilla, and cleaning products. A nice scent. One he could have spent all day breathing in and still not have enough of.

"H-hey! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

"Um… Helping?"

Levi huffed, turning his head away, cheeks red with embarrassment. He seemed to shrink in on himself, compressing until he was barely touching Mike at all, just the arm that was against his back and beneath his legs. "I was fine where I was, thank you very much!"

"I can put you back if you want."

"Hmph, you've already got me up so might as well not. idiot. Just… don't drop me."

"Of course. So… doctor?"

A nod met his words, accompanied by a gesture back towards the front of the shop. "Yeah. just get me to the register. I can call a friend's dad . He'll see me."

"Okay." Mike moved slowly, carefully, wary of jostling Levi too much. It was impossible to miss the little flinches of pain, no matter how tiny, or the quiet sighs, the way Levi's hand fisted up and clenched, and, most obvious, the influxes of pheromones. Sorry, sorry, sorry.

It didn't help that the aisles were fairly narrow, not really meant for someone to be carried between them, even if they were short. Even so, Mike managed to carry Levi through the shop and to the register, marvelling at him every step of the way. At that sweet, mouth-watering aroma. The flutter of those long dark eyelashes that definitely seemed to have mascara on them. The way those thin, soft-looking lips would purse occasionally, with pain or without. How absolutely tiny he was, even if he was solidly build. Hell, Mike's hand could probably cover one side of his face. An interesting thing to see, though he doubted he would ever get to do so.

He gently set Levi down in the chair behind the counter, reluctantly pulling away and pressing his back to the edge of the counter as he watched carefully. Levi snagged the telephone sitting beside the computer and quickly punched in a number, tapping his fingers on the countertop as he waited.

"Hey, Grisha? Yeah, it's Levi. Look… I kinda fell. Feels like I fucked up my ankle. I can't walk, that's for sure. Mind coming or sending someone over to look at it? Shit… I'm gonna have to come in? I can't fucking walk. Oh… a customer carried me. I don't want to. I'm being a brat, you asshole. Fucking hell, fine, I'll come in!"

Levi slammed the phone down in its cradle and glared at it for a moment before he looked up at Mike, almost a little hesitant in that simple gesture. He touched his undercut, silver eyes remaining on Mike's face for a moment before darting away only to slip back over a moment later. "So… he's tied up with a lot of patients and not enough staff. He can clear a space for me but I have to go in."

"So I heard."

"Oh shut up, smart ass." There was no bite to the words, just frustration that flashed across his face and tinged them. "Could you… help me get there? It's twenty minutes by cab. I can pay."

"Of course. I'll call one." It only took a few moments to arrange for a cab to come by, expected arrival time in ten minutes.

He settled next to the counter, awkwardly leaning against it as he did his best to not watch Levi and utterly failing for the most part. He told himself that it was instincts, the strong scent of pain making him stand close, hover even. It wasn't entirely a lie. The reek of it was strong, filling his nose and coating his tongue, making his fingers itch and twitch to reach out and touch Levi's scruff, a place that naturally released endorphins for pain. He found his hand rising several times, barely managing to stop and hide the movement by settling his hand in his hair or on his knee, anywhere other than that intimate spot. A hard task to say the least.

"Mike… you came here for books, right?"

"Ah, yeah. But they can wait."

"Nah," Levi waved his hand as he glanced at the Alpha, expressionless. Except for his eyes. Those had something foreign in them, a thing Mike couldn't name. "You can get the books you were going to. Don't have to pay for now. Just… bring them back next time so you can purchase them. Officially anyway."

Mike stared at him for a moment, unsure of whether or not he should agree before he nodded, a small smile lighting up his face. "Thank you."

"No problem. You seem decent enough." The compliment was a bit unorthodox but Mike took it, more than pleased enough with it as he peeled away from the counter and hesitated a moment before slipping away to another part of the shop. It didn't take long to find the books he was searching for. Levi had a meticulous way of organizing, one that Mike had almost immediately picked up on. Then again, the signs and alphabetical order by author never hurt.

He returned quickly, five books cradled in his arms. Levi only shook his head, a tiny smile on his lips before he bagged them for Mike and set them on the counter, movements careful and slow.

It only sat there for a moment before loud raps on the glass door tugged their eyes up, the cabbie meeting their gazes before dipping his head and heading back to his vehicle. Mike glanced at Levi and the little Omega nodded, his face tight with apprehension. They moved slowly, carefully, Levi clutching at Mike's arm as he rose onto his good leg. Even that simple movement sent a fresh rush of pain-scented pheromones rushing through the air, strong enough that Mike's mind fled him, limbs moving on his own.

His hand settled on Levi's neck, squeezing gently at points he automatically found. The Omega stiffened beneath his touch for a moment before a soft sound, almost a sigh, escaped him and he slumped against Mike, grip loosening momentarily before tightening. "Mike…" Even his voice was softer as his scent changed, the strong scent dulling as another threaded through it, softening it.

The Alpha swallowed, the simple action abruptly incredibly hard to do from the abrupt dryness in his mouth and the block in his throat. "I'm sorry…" he whispered as he shifted his hand around Levi's waist and started to move, practically carrying Levi. The endorphins rushing through his veins would keep him limp and mostly pain-free for a few minutes, long enough to get into the cab.

Mike eased Levi in before slipping in behind him, almost too big for the cab. His head brushed the ceiling and his knees were crunched up into his chest. Awkward to say the least. The smell was enough to drive him mad, the scent of old cigarettes and booze and sex and more clinging to the filthy cushions. I hate public transportation.

A tiny hand settled onto his knee, warm and unfamiliar. He glanced down as Levi's head settled on his leg, cheek pressed to the jean-covered skin above his knee. His face was caught somewhere between slack and tight as he drifted in a sea of pain and calm. He looked so tired, so innocent. It was hard to remember that the same man had been snapping at him not but ten minutes before. He must be in a lot of pain.

"Where to?"

He froze, uncertain, before he shook Levi's shoulder, making those gray flick open, dull from flood of calm. "Huh?"

"Levi, where are we going?"

His face screwed up, straining to concentrate as tinges of pain began to seep through the haze of endorphins. "200… No, 219 Baker Street. Yeager's Clinic."

The cabbie must have heard his murmurs for a moment later they were pulling away from the curb and rolling along the street, bumping along the mostly uneven road. Every little bump made Levi's lips curl, his fingers twitch, and slight spikes of scent arise. He didn't bother to peel his head from where it had settled on Mike's knee, either too hurt or too doped up on natural endorphins to care.

The second they hit their first pothole the stench of pain flared up, flooding the small vehicle and nearly drowning out the other unsavory ones. Mike's hand moved automatically, finding Levi's neck and scruffing him gently. A soft sigh immediately escaped those pretty pink lips and he smiled faintly before those gray eyes snapped open and he twisted in Mike's grasp, just enough to see him. Confusion and irritation flickered across his face, uncertainty a moment behind them. "Mike… What're you doing?"

"Sorry…" he whispered, grip loosening on the back of Levi's neck though not leaving. He didn't think his nose could take much more of being filled with Levi's agony. There was already a headache budding in his temples from that alone and his stomach lurched with every whiff of it. He couldn't stand it, seeing and smelling so much pain emanating off him in such close quarters. It was too strong even if he he had a strong stomach for blood and other such. Scents. It was always scents. "I didn't mean to, really. I just… the smell was so strong."

Levi eyed him for a moment longer before his eyes fluttered shut and his head lolled back to the side. "Whatever… it helps. Don't get too comfortable doin' it though."

"Of course not."

He got a snort instead of an actual response, though that wasn't exactly surprising, neither was the fact that the rest of the ride passed in easy silence except for the ambient noise outside. Mike pressed a few bills into the cabbie's hand, urging he take the change before he slowly eased Levi out, the Omega nearly as limp as a ragdoll, though he did manage to limp up to the door before he turned to Mike, eyes a little dazed, pain creeping in on the sides. "Ah… thanks."

"No problem. Though… are you sure you'll be fine?"

Levi nodded and waved his hand, his weight shifting onto his good leg a little more. He didn't exactly look like he could make it more than a few feet without collapsing or his leg giving out. "I'll be fine. I've actually had worse, thank you very much. Now shoo. I've wasted enough of your time."

"Levi… you're anything but a waste of time."

Levi twisted away so fast that Mike couldn't be sure if there had been a faint dusting of pink on his cheeks. The Omega cleared his throat awkwardly, hand tightening on the door handle. "Whatever… thanks."

"No problem. It was the least I could do."

Levi glanced at him, shy and almost secretive, before he pulled the door open and limped in, pained pheromones tainting the air behind him. Mike took a deep breath, letting it coat his tongue despite the disgusting nature of that particular scent. Be safe, Levi.