Chapter Text

"...Levi." Someone had their hand on Levi's shoulder, shaking it gently back and forth. The voice was a blur, just an itching at the back on his consciousness, but it had to be Hange, stupid fucking four eyes couldn't let him sleep. Levi had never been so tired in his entire life, and he'd be damned if he crawled out of this bed for her. Since when was his mattress so comfortable? It always made his back ache, made his spine feel twisted up in his skin. At the moment it was like he was laying in a fucking cloud, and he didn't understand why, but he also didn't care. Though the bed itself was comfortable, Levi's body was all wrong. His skin was stretched too tight over his bones, sharp edges of his frame threatening to burst through. Everything itched, and shook, desperate for touch.

"Hey, Levi. Levi, wake up." Warmth was wrapped around him, and he felt... well, and safe, and happy, even through his discomfort. Something smelled wonderful, keeping him under the surface of awareness, and he did not want to break free.

"Levi." Now instead of shaking at his arm, that hand was threading through his hair, brushing it from his face. He whined in his pillow, shoving his face deeper into the fabric and covering his eyes but being careful not to pull away from those fingers in his dark locks. They felt good, and even if it was stupid Hange it didn't matter, he wanted her to keep going. That scent assaulted him again, and he felt heat roll through him, felt himself shoot unmercifully hard in his boxers. Levi's legs were kicking off the blankets that covered them, too hot now, skin too sensitive as shimmering waves of arousal shot under his flesh. Heat. Oh, that's right, he was in heat. That's why he felt empty and achy as he thrust mindlessly into the covers. He mumbled something unintelligible, willing himself back down into his dreams and closer to that sweet smell, though it seemed to be coming from two different places now. In his bed, but also in the room with him.

"Levi." Christ, couldn't she leave him alone? If he wasn't so annoyed he would be embarrassed at the thought of Hange, watching him grind instinctively into his mattress. Levi couldn't help it, couldn't stop himself.

"No. Fuck off, four eyes." There was a dark chuckle, and he found himself wondering if someone had come over just to fuck with him. Hange's laugh was manic and crazed, the cackling of a cartoon villain, not that sultry sound he was hearing now.

"Just for a minute, Levi." Levi threw himself up from bed, profanities pouring out of his mouth in an angry stream as he blinked his lids open.

"Mother of fuck, Hange, could you please shut the hell up and-" When the Omega's vision cleared he was looking into bright green eyes gazing at him, full of affection. He jumped back, almost falling off the bed as he thrust his legs underneath him and brought up his fists. Levi was growling, but then after the confused haze of sleep fell away he went silent, collapsing back into the sheets with a sigh. "Fuck. You scared the shit out of me, Alpha. Was that really necessary?" His heart was beating wildly in his chest, adrenaline flowing through his veins. Everything had come back to him in a rush, his red heat, the refuge, the Alpha... Then he noticed Marco, that damn sympathetic expression on his face as always. Levi liked the Beta, but after two weeks he was ready to smack that fucking understanding look right off. Suddenly a cup was thrust in front of his face, dark brown liquid inside smelling like ambrosia. He snatched it away, looking at the Alpha almost accusingly as he glanced from the tea to Eren and back again. Finally his eyes settled on the Alpha's face, that suspicious expression burned into his brows.

"You want sugar or milk?" Locking stares with the Alpha, lust ran up his spine and he wanted a lot more than a cup of fucking tea. He shook away his errant thoughts, trying to pull himself back down to reality and out of the cloud of neediness he was in. Levi noticed a tray next to his bed with a plastic pitcher full of the dark liquid, a small container of sugar and another cup like the one he held, this one filled with milk. An Alpha with fucking teacups. It shouldn't be funny, but Levi wanted to laugh all the same. He reached over to the tray and took a generous spoonful of sugar, stirring it into his drink before replacing it. The Omega brought the drink to his lips, and after the first drops hit his tongue he moaned, swallowing the rest down in one gulp.

"Shit, that's the best thing that's happened to me in weeks." Besides the Alpha's face sliding against his skin, spreading that perfect scent over his throat... Fuck, shut up Levi. Marco was snickering, looking far more amused than he should at the Omega's expense. Then Levi glanced up only to catch his breath at the Alpha looking down at him with a smile so wide it looked like his face might break. It had been those fingers in his hair Levi realized with a start, and he wanted Eren to put them back, bury them in his black strands again. He shuddered, pushing down the feelings that rose within him unbidden.

"Morning, sunshine." Eren refilled Levi's cup, and the Omega glared at him in return.

"Fuck you, Alpha, I'm no one's sunshine." The Alpha just shrugged, unfazed, spooning the sugar in himself this time and mixing it with the liquid. His scent was overwhelming in the air, and Levi was not exactly sure how he was just standing there, calm and collected. As though he wasn't buried in instincts that were telling him to shove Levi down into the bed and make the Omega wretched beneath him.Shut up. Fuck. Shut up. He smelled like violence and lust, the two indistinguishable for the Omega. Usually the scent made him recoil when he encountered it, but right then it drew him in, made him want to shove his face into the Alpha's neck and just breathe in deep. If the Beta had not been in the room to distract him, Levi was not sure that he would've been able to stop himself. Levi eyed Marco as he took deliberately another sip of tea, trying to make sure his voice was even when he spoke next and not rough with desire. "Gimmie your fucking papers, freckles." The Beta handed the clipboard over, not surprised that the Omega already knew why he was there. Levi set his cup down on the tray, looking a little apprehensive, like Marco was going to take it away somehow.

"Hey Eren, you think you could step out for a minute so I can talk to Levi alone?" Levi watched the Alpha's gaze settle on Marco, full of venom and barely leashed aggression. The Beta averted his eyes, but did not shrink under the glare. "It's policy. Just for a sec."

Levi was about to tell Marco that it was okay, everything was fine here, but then he was curious. He did not really think the Alpha would be able to leave him alone in the room with another person, even if it was a Beta. Eren was taking deep breaths, clenching his fists, tilting his head like a dog as he wrenched his eyes shut. He opened his mouth, jaw popping before he brought it closed again and opened his lids up to reveal bright gold eyes. Shit, those eyes are sexy.Then the Alpha leveled that stare on Levi before he took a step forward, kneeling on the mattress and leaning over towards him. Eren's hands were back in Levi's black locks then, and the Omega fought down a moan as the Alpha began rubbing his throat over Levi's hair, covering it in his scent, spreading it through the strands with his fingers. Levi bit his lip, but it wasn't enough to stop the high pitched whimper that came out, a wanton sound that he wanted to swallow back into his mouth. Eren growled at the noise, and his movements became more frenzied, hand slipping down to grip his Omega's jaw as he slid his throat over Levi's pulse point. The Omega was panting, and their faces were so close there was no chance it was lost on the Alpha. Suddenly Levi found his hand moving on its own, burying itself in Eren's messy brown locks and clutching tight, holding the Alpha against his skin with a groan. Eren was shivering, his own palm closing over Levi's, squeezing tight like he never wanted to let go. Levi hadn't noticed when his legs opened up, but they couldn't possibly spread any further. The Omega buried two long digits between his lips, biting back more debauched sounds. Then they heard Marco clearing his throat, and the Alpha threw himself away from Levi, breathing ragged and broken. He put his hands on his knees and leaned over, head handing loose on his shoulders as he calmed himself. When he finally stood up to his full height and looked at Levi, he was the one who whined, reedy and breathless. Levi saw the Alpha's gaze rake over him, clothed only in Eren's boxers with knees thrown wide, fingers of one hand in his mouth, the other tangled in his own hair. The Omega trembled beneath that lust filled gaze, feeling it under his skin and in his chest and on his lips.

"Fuck." Eren pulled himself from the room slowly, as though he was walking through deep water, and the door clicked shut behind him. Levi just stared at it for long moments, knowing the Alpha was just on the other side, body strung tight with need. Blood swelling in Eren's veins just for him. It was a fight to pull his knees together, release the grip he had on his hair, drop his hand from his mouth. The Omega wasn't sure how long he was silent when Marco's wry voice made him jump.

"So everything's okay here, I take it?" Levi glared at the Beta, snatching up the clipboard and pen and filling in the blank spaces with an impressive amount of violence. Marco had not known it was possible to write with such hostility.

"Marco, you're a nice person, but I really want to stab you with this fucking pen right now." The Beta chuckled, leaning against the wall and grinning. It was easier to distract himself from the urges of his heat when the Alpha was not in the room, but even so, Levi wanted him back in there. Wanted those feral gold eyes on his, that wild scent riling in the air.

"I don't think I need to worry about you. I think you'll be just fine." Silence reigned for a few moments as Levi finished signing and dating the forms, before throwing them down on the blankets. He buried his hands in his hair again and brought his knees up, leaning his elbows on them with a groan.

"I'm losing my shit here, Beta." Marco just laughed.

"That's exactly what Eren said." Levi glanced up at him, gray eyes shining under furrowed brows.

"He did?" The Beta nodded, walking over to the bed and picking up the clipboard to flip through the pages, making sure everything was in order. "I feel... inside out. I don't know what I'm doing." Levi wasn't sure why he was confiding in Marco, but he'd been helping to care for the Omega for weeks, and the words were coming out against his will. Something about this agreeable bastard made you want to pour your heart out, and Levi hated him for it, just a little. "I thought I knew what I wanted." Marco sat down on the bed, placing a hand over one of Levi's to get his full attention. The Omega looked up into the Beta's eyes, but snatched his hand away with an irritated noise.

"What do you want now?" That gray stare flicked to the door for the barest of instances before settling back on Marco again, but the Beta caught it, smiling. "Is that so bad? To want to live?" Who cares about living? It wouldn't matter if Levi was in his red heat or not. He wanted that Alpha, and he wanted him bad. So much that it terrified him. His desires were fighting against each other, his reasoning telling him one thing, his instincts something else.

"I don't want to be a slave to some Alpha. I'd rather be dead." Levi said it like a mantra, a prayer spoken so often that the words had lost their meaning. Marco squeezed Levi's knee this time, face full of sympathy again. God, I want to hit you so much right now, freckles.

"I've known Eren a long time, since high school. He would never do that to you. Maybe it's not my place to say, but he's never even mated before, never shown the vaguest interest in doing so. I haven't seen him act like this, not once." The Beta laughed then, rolling his eyes. "It's really damn funny, actually. When his rut is over, hopefully I'll be able to tease him about this." Levi wasn't listening anymore, had stopped hearing what the Beta was saying after 'never even mated before'.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me." Never marked an Omega is one thing. Never mated? At all? Something entirely different, but Marco shook his head.

"He goes into rut every month, suppresses it every time."Every month? Holy shit. Levi had not thought such a thing was possible. Even Erwin only went into rut four times a year, and he was the strongest Alpha Levi had ever met, which was saying something. "Every couple of years or so he has one that the drugs won't suppress. Once he went to the hospital and had them tranquilize him for the duration, but apparently that didn't work too well for him, made him sick for weeks. Last time he handcuffed himself to his damn wall and starved for a week without telling anyone what he was doing. I have no idea where he even got cuffs strong enough to hold him, you know how Alphas in rut get. He told his sister to come check on him after it had passed, and she found him half dead on the floor. This time, I guess he couldn't take it anymore, so he came to the shelter. The last thing he's ever wanted is to mate, and here he is falling all over himself." Levi was quiet, letting everything the Beta said roll around through his mind. Marco found that he felt desperate, wanting to save this Omega by any means necessary. He always felt this way with an Omega in their red heat, but then again they'd always lost an Alpha. Now, it seemed like he could actually do some good, and he would say anything, do anything, if it would keep this one alive. The Beta stared at Levi until he caught his eyes again. "I've been here for half an hour or so, but he wouldn't let me wake you up until now. Know why?" The Omega shrugged, feeling a scowl spread across his features at Marco's words. "Because your tea wasn't ready yet, and Eren said you wanted some when you woke up." Levi's cut his gaze over towards the tray, tea and cups and sugar seeming to accuse him silently. "There's enough food in the kitchen to feed two dozen people. He cooked it all, all kinds of shit, because he didn't know what you would want to eat. I didn't even think he knew how to cook, never seen him do it before, and I've known him for over a decade. I know for a fact he's never made tea, doesn't drink anything with caffeine. Eren is, as you both put it, losing his shit. All because of you." The Omega wanted to rail against Marco, tell him how full of shit he was, but he knew the truth when he heard it. This Beta wouldn't lie to him after everything he'd been through.

"He told you to tell me all this." The Beta was shaking his head again, looking even more serious.

"No. He didn't. I'm sure he'd be furious if he knew I had mentioned any of it." Marco let out a bark of a laugh. "Especially the whole virgin thing. I may be dead if he finds out about that. Maybe don't mention it, if that's okay with you." All Levi could picture in his head now was his golden eyed Alpha running a bath, cleaning his room, making tea. Fumbling around with tea cups and sugar. Who the fuck put black tea in a plastic pitcher, anyway? Fucking savage.

"Why tell me all of this? What does it matter to you?" Marco looked at him like he was a complete idiot, and it felt wrong to be on the receiving end of such a look, rather than the one giving it.

"I want you to live, Levi. There's no reason for you to die. I know firsthand what the wrong Alphas can do, how they hurt Omegas, treat them like property, take advantage. But I also know that not all of them are like that. Eren can't help it that he was born an Alpha. He had not control over it, just like you had no control over being born Omega. It's not fair to hold him accountable for crimes he didn't commit. All he has ever done his entire life is protect others, look out for his friends. Fight what he is." Marco was smiling again, a sad smile, full of old wounds and forgotten sorrow. "I've never seen two people more alike. Resisting their instincts with everything they have, even if it literally rips them apart." Levi felt the fight draining out of him, and he wanted to kick Marco all over again. His voice was dripping with sarcasm when he spoke.

"Okay, freckled Beta wise man. What the fuck am I supposed to now?" The Beta shrugged, picking up his clipboard and backing towards the door.

"That's up to you. If things don't work out here, your always welcome back at the shelter. We'll even come pick you up, if we have to. But to be honest? I don't want to see you back there. Maybe next time I talk to you will be at the dojo Eren works at, beating the shit out of him. Someone needs to, and from what you've told me about your history, maybe you could do it." Maybe he could do it? Levi felt indignant.

"Tch! Of course I could. Alphas all think they're stronger just because of what they are. They're quick to underestimate me." Marco's hand was on the knob, smirking at the Omega with a knowing expression.

"Can't kick his ass if you're dead." This Beta fucker.

"You think you're clever, don't you, freckles?"

"I know I'm clever. I'll see you around, Levi. Hopefully later, rather than sooner." Marco exited without another word, leaving Levi alone in a bed that felt too big. Lost in it. The Omega rubbed a hand over his hair, pulling it down to breathe in Eren's scent with a sigh. Of all the Alphas in the world that could've walked into that fucking shelter...

Why'd it have to be you?

...

Levi wanted to go back to sleep, but then he remembered stupid four eyes, feeling bad that he had not called her since he'd left the refuge. When Eren came back to his bedroom after seeing Marco out, Levi had asked to use his phone. The Alpha insisted on bringing him something to eat, so while he went into the kitchen Levi dialed Hange and waited to see if she would answer a number she didn't know. She was too curious not to, most likely. After a few rings four eyes picked up, voice shredded and low.

"Hello?" Levi had never heard her sound this way before, like her heart was breaking. He felt worry twist in his gut.

"Christ, Hange. What happened? What's wrong?"

"L-Levi? Is that you?"

"Yeah, no shit it's me. What the fuck is wrong with you? Who died?" Suddenly she was screaming into the phone, and Levi had to pull it away from his face with a wince to save his eardrums.

"YOU DID, YOU BASTARD! I called the shelter to talk to you and they said you weren't there! I asked if you left, and they wouldn't give me any information! I thought-" He heard her sniff, and when she continued Levi could tell she was crying. "I thought you had died, Levi. You fucking asshole! Where are you?" Guilt washed through him at the emotion in her voice.

"I'm sorry, Hange. I didn't mean- fuck. I'm just sorry, I guess. I left the refuge."

"Obviously, dumb ass. Where are you now? Do I need to come get you?"

"I'm..." Shit, there was no avoiding it. "I'm at some Alpha's house. An Alpha in rut." Suddenly Hange was cheering, and from the sounds in his ear he knew she was jumping around her room.

"Oh my God, Levi! I'm so happy! You're done being a fucking idiot!" After a few more loud shouts, she quieted a bit. "So, how was it? Was it good? Are you gonna get married and have a half dozen furious scowling little babies?" Though he was an Omega, Levi could not get pregnant even if he wanted to, which he fucking didn't. Years of illegal heat suppressants ripping up his insides had made sure of that, and honestly he was grateful for it. Hange knew better than anyone, with all her studies on Omegas and Alphas and fertility. Which made it even more irritating, knowing she was fucking with him just to be an ass.

"Shut the fuck up, four eyes. I haven't done anything yet, like it's any of your business."

"Why not? You're still in your heat, in a rutting Alpha's house? I can't really believe that. He'd be down your pants in an instant, and you'd be ass up and begging for it." She was right, it did sound ridiculous when she put it that way.

"Seeing is believing, I guess. I need some clothes, my phone back, my wallet. You wanna pack a bag for me and bring it?"

"If you need a bag, that means you're gonna go for it, right? If you thought you were going to die, you wouldn't need your shit. You're not gonna try to leave after I bring you clothes, are you? Cause I fucking won't do it. I'll make you leave that Alpha's house naked if you're not gonna mate."

"Can you just shut up and do what I ask, just once?"

"Only if you plan on getting laid. Levi, I know I said I supported your decision whatever it was, but after calling the refuge, after... after thinking you were dead? I don't support your choices anymore. I want you to live, and I don't care if you don't like it. I was wrong. You were wrong." The pain was evident in her voice, lacing everything she said with sadness. Levi wasn't sure what he was going to respond with until it was already out of his mouth.

"I was wrong. You're right." A sharp intake of breath, followed by a long silence.

"Really?" She was crying again. Hange never fucking cried, and Levi felt like an asshole for being the person who brought tears to those crazy eyes.

"Really, you stupid bitch. Bring me my goddamned clothes." It was only then that he realized he was really going to do it, mate an Alpha. Stay alive. He could've waited until afterwards to call her, have her come over just to pick him up, but Levi needed to see her now. She'd thought he was dead, and he wanted to erase those dark images from her mind right then. Levi would never tell his friend just how important she was to him, but he was pretty sure she knew anyway.

"EEEEEEEEK! LEEEEEEVIIIIIII! Oh! When I thought you were dead, I- uh... never mind. It's not important."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing! It's fine. I'll tell you when I bring you your stuff. Text me the address from your boyfriend's phone."

"Hange!"

"Awww, c'mon, let me dream! He's gonna save you, he's officially my favorite person ever right now! Hey, is he at least hot? Surely you wouldn't let some ugly Alpha take you home, right?" Levi was smirking then, and all he could think of was shining golden eyes and messy brown hair.

"You'll see him when you get here."

"Fuck, that good, huh?"

"Goodbye, Hange."

Levi hung up on her over her protests, smiling as he did so.Stupid shitty glasses. Then the Alpha was knocking on his own damned bedroom door, waiting for Levi to tell him he could enter. Levi felt nervous, panic running through his veins. What was he supposed to say to him now? 'Oh, I don't want to die after all, so would you please fuck me?' Shit. He found himself combing through his hair with his fingers, pulling the blankets up around his waist, gnawing at his lip.Jesus, Levi. All he had to do was wait for Hange to bring him some clothes, and after she left... Levi let out a shaky breath as butterflies twitched in his guts, throat going tight. What would it feel like? Those strong hands running up his sides, spreading his thighs wide, delving inside him...

Fuck.

Levi was so screwed.