Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin
It's here! Finally the cub is to be born. This story is so close to being finished. I can't wait.
Warning! This chapter contains explicit information on Child Birth! Still here? Then let's give this chapter a whirl.
Enjoy!
Eren had spent a total of four weeks in lockdown. He had been monitored and suppressed and he was beyond bored. For some unknown reason, the pup seemed to be more active at night, meaning Eren was left to suffer all night as the cub refused to stop moving. He managed to get sleep during the day though, but time spent with Levi was growing thin.
Levi couldn't stay up all night and comfort him because he had council meetings in the morning. When he woke up, Eren would usually go to sleep, and when he went to sleep, Eren would wake up. It was the worst, but Eren did his best not to complain.
Levi had managed to finish a lot of work, so he knew that once the pup arrived he would be able to give his full attention to them. The only thing that could take him away from them would be if either Sina or Rose decided to declare war, but that wasn't very likely.
At the four week mark, Eren was beyond pissed. He was tired, uncomfortable, but still refused to push his burdens too much on his mate.
Levi had to wake up and leave for a meeting. Eren was awake by his side after lying awake all night. He was sweating slightly and moaning uncomfortably.
"You okay?" Levi asked. Eren breathed.
"Just a bit of backache. It's only just started, so it should stop in a few minutes," he replied. Levi was concerned.
"Maybe I should stay with you today. The pup is due around now, so this could be a sign-"
"Levi, I'm fine," Eren interjected. "This isn't the first backache I've had and if this pregnancy lasts any longer, it certainly won't be my last. Go. Be a good King. I'll be here when you get back. Probably asleep," Eren yawned.
Levi sighed, but surrendering and doing as his mate asked. He got dressed in his white shirt and black trousers, before turning to Eren.
"I don't care if I'm in the middle of a war meeting. If you are in too much pain, I want someone to come and get me," he said. Eren moaned and waved his hand.
"Good night, Levi," he said, before almost instantly falling asleep.
Levi couldn't shake a feeling off, but he decided to ignore it and left the room.
The walk from the birthing chamber to the council room was longer than from their main bedroom. Levi spent the entire walk flicking his nails. Something was off and he think he knew.
Just as he was about to enter the council room, Petra passed him with some towels.
"Petra."
"Yes, Levi?"
"Stay with Eren today, even if he sleeps through it, I want someone to keep an eye on him. You're off duty," he ordered. Petra's eyes widened.
"Do you think today is the day?" she asked, unable to contain her excitement. Levi hummed.
"It could be. I just want to be safe."
"Of course," Petra said, before bowing. Levi left her to it as he began the meeting.
He sat down at the head of the table, absentmindedly glancing over to Eren's empty chair to his right.
Nile was the first to stand.
"Your Majesty, Trost have been asking for assistance with a barricade problem. It would seem that the storm last week resulted in the rough sea breaking part of the barricade. Trost is currently submerged in a foot of water. The water is gradually going down, however, I think we need to consider helping them rebuild the barricade so that this doesn't happen again," he explained. Nile had his various uses, even if he was a pain in the arse.
"When was the barricade last mended?" Levi asked.
"Five years ago," Nile replied. Levi hummed.
"The barricade is expensive to rebuild. I remember seeing it around this time last year. It was made of wood, which is obviously weakened by water over a period of time. Note down that this time it will be made of iron. It's expensive, but we wouldn't have to repair it ever five years. In the long run we would probably save ourselves a pretty penny." Nile nodded and sat back down again, making a note.
Farlan was the next to stand, but before he could even open his mouth, the council room door opened and Petra came marching in. Everyone stared at her as she calmly walked over to Levi, before whispering in his ear.
"It's time."
Levi could feel his heartbeat quicken, yet he kept composed. He stood up.
"It would seem that this council meeting will have to be postponed. I have a mate in labour," he said calmly. Every face in the room lit up and they all stood, before saluting with their fist over their heart.
Levi nodded in respect before following Petra out the room.
"You were right to be wary," Petra said as they hastened towards the birthing chamber. "I arrived and Eren was still in pain and looked like he wet himself. I ran to get Hanji and she said that his water broke and he is in the early stages. It's finally happening, Levi. You're going to be a father!" Petra nearly squealed. Levi softly smiled at her excitement.
They finally reached the birthing chamber. Hanji, Carla, Mikasa And Armin were already in there. Eren was still lying down. He looked up and frowned at his mate's arrival.
"I told Petra not to rush. It'll be hours before the pup arrives. Finish your meeting," he said. Levi rolled his eyes and sat down on the bed.
"My mate is in labour and you think I would be able to spend it in a meeting knowing that you are in pain. You've got another thing coming, brat," Levi said, grasping his hand. Eren smiled, before whimpering as another contraction hit.
Levi turned to Hanji.
"How is he doing?" he asked. She had a clipboard in her hand, writing notes.
"I checked him just before you came in. He is currently three centimetres dilated, so we've still got a way to go," she explained.
"See," Eren said, breathing deeply, "I'll be here for hours. So go-"
"Not another word on it, Eren," Levi growled, watching Eren slump in defeat. He turned back to Hanji.
"I would say that there is a good chance the pup could be born tonight or just after midnight. His body seems to be taking it well, so fingers crossed." Levi nodded, before looking back to Eren, who seemed to be fine now.
Carla was on the other side of him, stroke his hair. She looked up at Levi and smiled.
"Don't look so worried. He's going to be fine," she said. Levi looked a little stunned. What face had he been making?
Eren smiled, before grabbing his hand.
"We're having a baby," he grinned. Levi smiled in return, kissing Eren's hand in his. Hanji then coughed.
"Well then, as this is going to take some time, I'll come back in a hour to see how things are coming along. Armin and Petra, you come with me," she said, leaving the room. Armin sighed, looking apologetic at his best friend, before joining the doctor. Petra waved as she also left.
"Mikasa," Levi said. The palace guard looked to the Alpha, ready to receive an order. "I'm assigning you as Eren's main guard. Make sure no one unauthorised enters this room."
The Beta nodded and saluted, before leaving the room as well.
This left Eren alone with his mother and Levi.
"Hehe, I suppose this is only going to get worse," Eren nervously laughed.
"Just keep breathing, Cub," Carla instructed, stroking his hair. Eren tried to smile, but his grip on Levi's hand tightened.
"I'm scared," he whispered. "I already don't like how this is feeling."
"I'll be here, Eren," Levi said. "I know your scared, but just think about having our pup in your arms. I'm so proud of you for making it this far."
Eren laughed. "I'm never letting you touch me again," he said, before another contraction hit and he pushed against his pillow. Carla smiled sympathetically, looking at Levi.
"Don't worry. I swear all people in labour say that. He'll be threatening to castrate you further to the end."
Levi sighed, feeling utterly helpless at this moment. His mate was in pain and there was nothing he could do.
"Just staying by him will help," Carla said, somehow reading his mind. Levi looked at his mother-in-law and saw her smile. "As long as you are here and he can smell you, everything will be alright. So, don't look so worried. Eren is strong, and I know you know that," she said.
Levi nodded slowly, before turning back to the Omega, who now looked completely fine, but a bit pale. Eren never let go of his hand, staring at their linked fingers.
Levi smiled softly, before shifting his mate and sitting behind him, much like he had done during Eren's first heat.
Eren immediately seemed to be drawn to the mating mark that was on Levi's neck, rubbing again the comforting scent, whimpering slightly.
"I'm here," Levi whispered, kissing the Omega's forehead.
As time went on, it only got worse. Night was falling and there was still no sign of a pup. The contractions were occurring closer together, but it still wasn't time. Eren was going in and out of sleep, awaking by the sudden pain.
Levi had not moved from behind his mate, stroking his belly or wiping the sweat off his forehead. Carla sat in a chair by the bed, leaning over and holding the hand that wasn't held by Levi.
"I think you're nearly there, Eren," Hanji said, holding her clipboard and taking notes. "Your birthing canal seems to be dilating nicely. You were 3 centimetres this morning and are 7 centimetres now. I would say that by the morning you should have yourself a cub."
"Best news I've heard all day!" Eren groaned, clearly just wanting this over and done with.
Eren knew that he was getting no sleep tonight. No one was. Armin and Petra had joined them after their shifts had ended, choosing to spend their night sleepless, supporting Eren instead. Mikasa had opted to stay on guard duty, refusing to trust anyone else with the protection of her brother.
"I spent a whole 24 hours in labour, cub," Carla said once Eren was no longer suffering.
"It must have been agonising..." Eren sobbed. Carla smiled and stroked his hand.
"Oh, yes, painful as hell. But it was all worth it once I got to hold you in my arms, and I know you will feel the same. I just hope you won't be too protective of them that you keep Levi at a distance."
"That can happen?" Levi asked, stroking Eren's stomach. Carla nodded.
"Yes, but it's more common when the Omega doesn't like their Alpha and doesn't trust them. I'm sure such a thing wouldn't happen, but I would ask you to respect it if it does, Levi," Carla warned. Levi immediately nodded.
"I don't see why I would keep Levi away from his own pup," Eren said, "but then again, Omega hormones are strange." Eren laughed a little, but it was cut short by another contraction.
"No matter what your Omega hormones tell you, Eren, I will listen," Levi said softly, comforting his mate.
Hanji smiled, before turning to Carla.
"One of these day, you and I need to have a chat. You seem to know a lot about Omegas. It's fascinating to me," she said. Carla hummed.
"As an Omega with a cub but no mate, a lot of Shiganshina Omegas would come to me for help or advise. Everyone was different, but I started to notice patterns and common occurrences. My home was Alphaless, and it was seen as a haven of some sort. The Elder of Shiganshina was kind and dealt with any Alphas that came for their Omegas when they were not wanted."
"I see," Hanji said, listening attentively.
"I'm glad Omegas in Shiganshina had someone like you, Carla," Levi interjected. "Unfortunately, not everywhere has that. Omegas are going around, not fully understanding if what they feel is normal. I hope one day all this can change. Omegas, no matter what, will always be seen as the weaker status, but maybe Eren can give them a voice so that they are not alone and take action against the greed that humans feel. It's not just Alphas, but Betas too."
"One thing at a time," Eren groaned. "Let me just get this pup out of me, and then we can talk." Levi chuckled, dabbing Eren's forehead with a cloth.
"Not now. Let's give it time. Your presence alone already has an effect on the world."
Eren sighed and kissed his Alpha's hand.
"Slowly, but surely, huh? I guess I could work with that."
"Slowly, but surely," Levi repeated.
It was 4am when all hell broke loose. Eren was experiencing great pain, despite Levi's presence.
Hanji called for a team of midwives, bringing in a basin of water, towels and even scalpels for an emergency.
Levi growled at the offending knives the other side of the room, gripping his mate tightly.
"You better keep those things away from him," Levi hissed. Hanji turned to Levi. Her face was stern and serious.
"They are only for emergencies. But if Eren is having problems, we might have to," she informed.
"And he might die!" Levi exclaimed, going into full Alpha protective mode. Hanji glared at her King.
"He won't die. I won't let him. Now, just stay there and act as a scent dispenser."
Levi refused to stop baring his teeth at the other midwives that he had never seen before. How dare they enter his mate's space.
"Levi, they have all been cleared. Eren will die if you don't let them help," Hanji said.
"Levi," Eren's hoarse voice said. Levi looked down to his mate, who was pulling a pained smile. "I'll be okay. I promise."
Levi soon calmed and stopped baring his teeth, holding his mate closely.
"Right," Hanji sighed in relief. "You should be able to push soon, Eren. When the next contraction hits, I want you to push as hard as you can. Hold onto Levi. Break his hand if you must, but don't stop pushing."
Eren gulped, watching as people gathered around him and his lower half was left bare and visible. His legs were forced apart and he was asked to keep them apart by holding them to his belly.
Carla moved to sitting on the bed, still holding his hand.
When the contraction hit, Eren cried as he pushed with all his might. It hurt. It burned. He felt like something inside of him was being ripped out.
"That's it, Eren," Hanji said from between his legs.
In any normal situation, Eren probably would have kicked her in the face and covered himself up, but this was no normal situation. If her sitting between his legs would make this pain go away, he would do it.
Levi helped hold his legs, whispering comforting words into his ear. He was proud. He loved him. Their cub was coming.
Eren kept pushing on through these words. He wanted his pup. He wanted the pain to be over. To hold his baby that he had been carrying for 9 months.
The baby he had inside him when his father had kidnapped him and tried to sell him. The baby he had inside him when he met Nicolas Fray and ventured to the Old Slums. The baby he had inside him when he got married and when he began Queen.
Eren cried and screamed in agony as he left his birthing canal stretch.
"I can see their head! They're crowning. You're so close, Eren. Just a few more," Hanji said.
"I don't want to!" Eren cried, exhausted.
"Come on, brat. You're so close," Levi said.
"You give birth to them then!" Eren replied. "You spend 9 months with a being inside of you, knowing that as they grow bigger and stronger you're going to be in more pain!"
Levi gritted his teeth and held Eren tight through his crying.
"I can't do that, Eren. I'm not strong enough, but you are. Please, Eren, just a bit more."
Eren sobbed, taking a couple of short breaths, before pushing through the pain once more, tears spilling down his cheeks.
"One more, Eren! Make it big," Hanji ordered.
Eren mustered up everything that was left in him, pushing once more, screaming at the top of his lungs, before finally feeling the relief that he had sought for.
He slumped back onto Levi's chest, breathing heavily. For a few seconds there was silence. However, from that silence came a cry that made Eren's heart stutter and his eyes widen.
Levi helped Eren look up weakly towards Hanji, who was holding a crying baby covered in blood.
Though exhausted, Eren put his arms out.
"Please," he begged. Hanji smiled softly, before getting a blanket and wrapping it around the whimpering cub. She transferred them carefully to their mother's arms, who greedily took them and held them close to his chest.
"Congratulations, Eren, Levi. You have a healthy baby girl," Hanji said. Eren couldn't take his eyes off the small being in his arms.
A girl. It wasn't exactly what he wanted, but there was no changing that now. He smiled and looked over her. 10 fingers. 10 toes. A stiff, pointy tail and the most beautiful black furred ears ever.
"She perfect..." Eren muttered, before turning to Levi behind him. "Look, Levi. Look what we made."
Levi was smiling, wrapping his arms around Eren and kissing his forehead.
"Well done, Eren," he said, looking like he was about to break away from that serious, scary persona and cry for joy.
Eren smiled, before freezing as he felt his nipple being latched onto. He looked down and saw his pup already making use of his milk supply.
Carla, who was next to them, was a mess. Her eyes were bawling, leaking out tears of joy faster than a waterfall.
"I'm a grandma!" she cried. Eren laughed, before wincing in pain.
"Ah, that'll be the after birth. Eren, I want to get our little princess weighed and checked. I promise she won't be far, so may I have her, and while that is happening, we can take care of you?" Hanji asked. Eren swallowed, before begrudgingly nodding.
"Mum, will you go with them?" he asked. Carla smiled and nodded.
"Of course."
"Okay, first, let's cut the umbilical cord. Levi, would you like to do the honours?" Hanji said, handing Levi a pair of scissors.
Levi was so carefully cutting the cord that connected his child to his mate, following Hanji's directions perfectly.
After, Carla carefully took the pup from her mother's arms and left the room with the midwives, along with everyone else, while Hanji stayed with Eren.
"Now then, let's get you cleaned up and get the placenta out of you."
Eren nodded and felt Levi move from behind him. Levi carefully guided Eren to lie down, but never took his eyes off of him.
"Thank you, Eren," he said, rubbing the Omega's ears softly. Eren smiled weakly.
"I'm looking forward to a good night sleep," he replied. Hanji laughed while she was checking Eren's condition.
"Yeah, you won't get a lot of sleep with a new born baby. But you are Royal so maybe you would have people help-"
"No," Eren interrupted. "This is my cub and I will be the one to look after them. I don't care if I have to get up every night. I won't have someone else care for what is mine."
Levi smiled.
"And of course I will help."
"You'd better. I expect you to help with nightly wake up calls and nappy changing," Eren said. "You're a father now, you know."
Levi looked beaming with pride at those last words.
Not too long later, the afterbirth came out and Levi ushered Eren into the bathroom to clean up.
Eren's legs were very shaky as Levi assisted him into the bathtub and scrubbed away all of the sweat and blood.
It was a silent activity, filled with gentle touches and kisses.
After the bath, Levi helped Eren back into the room, where the maid had changed the sheets, replacing them with fresh white covers.
As much as Eren wanted to sleep, he couldn't without his cub. Levi lay beside him, pulling the covers over him and rubbed his check.
"She'll be okay. Carla is with her," Levi comforted. Eren sighed and snuggled into Levi's chest.
"Sorry she's not a boy," he said. Levi chuckled.
"I did tell you she was going to be a girl, but you refused to listen."
"Yeah, because I wanted to give you an heir."
"I don't care about heirs. She's here and hopefully completely healthy and you should be proud of that."
Eren hummed in response, before the bedroom door opened and Hanji and Carla walked in. In Carla's arms lay their bundle of joy, sleeping peacefully in her grandmother's arms.
"You'll be pleased to know," Hanji began. "Our little princess what born at 4:48am on Tuesday 9th February. She weighs 6.7 ounces and is completely healthy."
Carla smiled and gave the pup back to Eren.
"She's a joy. I think she has your eyes, Eren."
Eren smiled down at the pup in his arms, sound asleep. He kissed her forehead, before looking up again at Hanji.
"And her status? Were you able to tell?" he asked. Hanji grinned and looked very excited.
"It seems that she has inherited a lot for you, Eren. She's an Alpha."
Both Eren and Levi froze.
"Huh?" they said in unison.
"I know. Shocked the other midwives. But our little princess in an Alpha. However, that's not all."
"What more could there be?" Levi asked. Hanji smirked.
"Remember back when I extracted some blood from Eren oh so many months ago. I used it for a special experiment, however, I had some left. I examined the blood and noticed that Eren is not only an Omega, but has some Alpha blood as well in his veins."
"What?!" Eren exclaimed, slapping his mouth when he realised he had woke his cub. The baby whimpered and squirmed a bit, before settling down once more. "What?" he repeated, quietly.
"Strange, right? It would seem that Eren has a strange gene that gives him both the characteristics of an Alpha and an Omega. He is a dominant Omega, but I'm guessing his strength come from his Alpha genes."
"And the child?" Levi questioned.
"She's the same, except her Alpha genes are dominant. It appears that we have just discovered a whole knew status in Eren, and now his child. I've decided to all it 'Alphmég' [Alf-mey-g]. Just think! This could be the start of a whole line. Female Alphas and male Omegas. In a hundred years time in could be the norm. And Eren started it all!" Hanji said, beaming with pride at her discovery.
Levi sighed and turned to Eren.
"Nothing is ever simple when it comes to you, is it?" Eren grinned, before innocently peaking his mate on the lips.
"This brings me on to another matter," Hanji began again. She reached into her lab coat pocket and pulled out a book, placing it on the bed. "According to the laws of this Kingdom, it states that the first Alpha born from the King and his consort has a claim to the throne and shall be known as 'prince'. I does not mention primary gender, only secondary."
Eren frowned.
"And because she's an Alpha, that means she's an heir?" he questioned. Hanji nodded.
"It would seem so. Levi's ancestors probably didn't expect a female Alpha ever to be born, but I guess that our little princess here is technically our little prince."
"But why?" Eren asked. "Why can't see be a princess and still an heir? Does that mean she would one day be King?"
"This is all very confusing..." Levi muttered, rubbing his head.
"According to our laws, that is how it is supposed to be. However, maybe with the work that you are planning to do in a few years, Eren, you might be able to change this for her. Women were never supposed to rule, but the books never say anything about a woman not ruling, only that an Alpha must rule. Here is our Alpha," Hanji explained.
Eren looked down at his daughter. He didn't like the idea very much, but at this moment there was nothing he could really do about it.
"I'll change it," he said. "One day I'll change how Omegas are seen and I'll allow it so that anyone can rule. I'll change it so that our daughter can live as whoever she wants. She may be the Kingdom's prince, but to me she will remain my princess. One day, it will not matter if you are male or female, Omega, Beta or Alpha. Everyone will have the same opportunities and the hate in this world will be one more. It's a silly thought, right? But maybe if I love this child enough, I could do it."
Carla smiled, sitting down on the bed.
"And what are you going to call your little princess, heir to the Maria Throne?" she asked. Eren smiled, before looking to Levi.
"Selene. Selene Desta Jäger-Ackerman."
Yay! One royal baby is here. So Selene Desta, if you remember, was the name of the flower that bloomed when the full moon was out. I thought that was nice. Also, this story has kind of become the origin of male Omegas and Female Alphas. Funny, right..
Anyway, I hope this chapter wasn't too confusing. Unfortunately due to Selene being an Alpha, her official title is Prince. If I ever come around to doing a sequel, those issues would be addressed.
My birthday was on Wednesday! Bit of a quiet bday due to the pandemic, but spent it playing my PS4 and watched Star Trek (2009) with my family. It wasn't all bad.
I still hope everyone is staying safe and smart. Think of others and the world will be a better place.
The next chapter is the last one (f*cking finally!). It has been a long time since I started this story and it's strange that I no longer have to feel guilty about leaving it hanging.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Until Next Friday (for the last time)
