32
Eren slowly closed the door behind him, eyes staring at his dark empty house. He couldn't take anymore, he sat right there near the door and covered his face with both hands.
He broke down.
The brunette had no idea how he managed to keep smiling and kept talking through the whole afternoon. He was alright but at the same time, he felt terrible.
Earlier, Eren finally met his family.
It was hard to stop himself from going to Levi's house or simply stalking the raven. He didn't want to be a creep, hell, Levi was his Omega and they had a son. Eren decided to man up and properly introduce himself as the new guy who moved into the neighborhood.
It was all set when suddenly all the home shit that Marco ordered came on his doorstep. He couldn't leave the house as he signed to accept packages after packages. Marco outdid himself and Eren was grateful but this was not the time!
Eren got info from Hange that his son will be entering kindergarten. He got it all plan, he'll casually walk into the street where the school was, greet a few people and eventually meet Levi while he was at it.
But no, he got tied in the house because Marco choose"one-day" shipping and all of the packages came flooding in.
It was almost four in the afternoon when finally the packages stopped coming for good. Eren started working on moving all the parcels and boxes out of the way and shoving them neatly on one corner. He was tired and freaking hungry, he'll deal with all the stuff later.
He glanced at the wall clock and frowned. He missed meeting his family but there's still a tomorrow.
Grabbing his keys, Eren went to buy food. Settling for cheap fast food, the brunette made a turn to the street where the kindergarten sat while munching on his cheeseburger. He had no idea why, he had already mapped out the whole town and knew each establishment and road but there's something deep inside of him, his Alpha, steered him to the street where the kindergarten was.
As Eren drove closer to the cute school with a white picket fence and potted flowers, he noticed a small boy sitting on the bench just outside the building. Odd, the kids in the kindergarten already went home with their parents at this hour.
Taking a closer look, Eren felt his heart stop. He set aside his burger and parked near the school. He didn't remove his eyes from the little boy with raven hair, big green eyes, and pale skin. His face was cute even when he looked sad, head down, eyes glued to his adorable little shoes. He looked small in his tiny sailor uniform and the hat on his head was so cute.
His inner Alpha immediately recognized that this boy was his son and the scent coming out from the little guy proved it more.
Vanilla and pine.
Odd combination but it works and it's perfect.
But the sad look on his face was not. Eren swore to do everything in the world just to see the little one smile and laugh.
When he got closer, the little boy didn't notice him. Eren gently smiled and soften his voice. "Good afternoon."
When the boy turned to look up at him, Eren's heart melted. He started asking whoever mystic beings out there why he deserved to have this adorable little boy as his son. The boy got his big green eyes but his looks leaned towards Levi. Like a mini version of the raven and Eren's not complaining.
"Can I share this bench with you?"
The little boy didn't say anything but he nodded and scooted over. Too far from Eren's taste but it's alright, he was new to the neighborhood and he was proud that his son followed one of the important but simple rules.
"Don't talk to strangers".
The Alpha kept his gentle smile. "My name is Eren, I just move in here. I hope we can be friends."
The boy's big green eyes couldn't get any bigger when Eren introduced himself.
"What's your name?"
The boy pursed his lips, unsure of what to do but after a few seconds, he moved and pointed at the tag on his shirt.
Eren slightly leaned out to read what's written on the boy's name tag. His jaw dropped.
He never expected that. Never in a million years. He couldn't talk anymore, all he wanted to do was reach for his son, hug him tight, give him all that he wanted and protect him from everything in the world. And those who planned on hurting his adorable boy would surely be asking for a death wish.
"Eren!"
They both turned towards the call and Eren smiled. Finally, he met his mate again but his smile didn't last. Levi was running towards them, eyes holding nothing but panic and worry.
"Mommy!" The little boy jumped out of the bench and met his mother halfway.
The raven Omega smiled genuinely even though he was panting heavily. He leaned down to catch the running child in his embrace.
Eren sat on the bench, mouth agape. He could see the red flag waving.
"Mommy?" The child asked, looking up at Levi.
"Yes, baby?"
"Did you forget?"
Eren watched in horror as he witnessed Levi's heart shattered into pieces in front of him.
"I..." Lips quivering, voice cracking, eyes watering, Levi attempted to give decent reason to the little boy who was looking up at him expectantly with a sad face.
Eren couldn't take it anymore, his mate needed him. He pushed himself out of the bench, pulled out his charming smile, and made his voice sound natural and cheery to lighten the mood.
"No, he didn't," Eren said as he knelt in front of them so that his son would take a rest from craning his neck at them. "Your Mommy was just busy. A bagger must have sneaked in the kitchen!"
"A bagger?!" The boy turned to him and gasped.
"Yeah, right?" Eren looked up to his mate and smiled. Though deep inside he never wanted to see his mate with glassy eyes, ready to burst into tears. He had never seen Levi Ackerman like this. This was not acting and it hurts his Alpha to see his Omega in such a state. He promised to do everything to prevent it in the future, even if Levi pushed him away.
"Y-yeah... A bagger..." Levi nodded weakly.
"Did the bad bagger hurt you Mommy?" the child grasped Levi's oversized cardigan.
"Umm, no. Captain scared it away."
Eren was silent, his heart grew heavier as time ticked. Captain. His German Shepard, Levi kept the dog with him and now was best friends with his son.
"Of course! Captain is very brave!" The little boy cheered.
"Yeah," Levi finally composed himself. He blinked and stared at Eren, hesitating to ask. "Ummm. I'm sorry, you are?"
"Oh, Mommy! Meet Mr. Eren! He's new in our neighborhood!" The boy did the honors, then pointed at himself. "We have the same name!"
"Oh?" Levi kept staring at Alpha, then he whispered. "That's easy to remember..."
Eren offered another smile. "Nice to meet you."
"Wait," Levi bit his lower lip. Nose twitching as he tried to pick up the brunette's scent. Then he tilted his head on the side. "Have we met?"
"Yes," Eren remained kneeling on the sidewalk. He would keep kneeling as long as it was it made Levi and his son comfortable.
Yes, we met. About four years ago but you knew me then. We became Alpha and mate. We bonded. That little angel is our son. I'm you're Alpha.
Eren could say all of that but he knew that it wouldn't help him or Levi. But he got a decent answer to the raven's question.
"We did, in the convenient store," he said instead
"Oh... I don't remember..." Levi whispered shamefully.
"It's alright, I recalled we didn't even talk."
"I see. Um, okay... Uhm. Welcome to the neighborhood..." The raven nudged the little boy who was busy pulling the loose thread on Levi's cardigan. "Um, baby."
"Oh, welcome to the neighborhood, Mr. Big Eren! Our neighborhood is the best!"
"Really?" Eren's smile widen. "Thank you for welcoming. I'll be under your care."
"Where do you live Mr. Eren?" His son asked him.
"Um, Eren baby," Levi warned the boy.
"No, it's okay," Eren looked up to his mate. Liking the way he said his name, the raven did refer to him but it still counts. "I live next to the park that had a pond."
"Wow!" Little Eren beamed. "I love that park! Mommy, can we visit the park? Please?"
"Ummm," Levi hesitated.
Eren could tell that the raven Omega didn't want to say no to his child but it was getting dark and the brunette Alpha just wanted his family to be home before it gets late.
"It's getting dark," Eren said to the child. "You should go home now with Mommy."
"But..." Little Eren pouted at him.
Gods, Eren cursed. Now, he understood Levi, how could he simply say no to that adorable face? Eren shook his head. No. They must go home.
"Listen, I never visit that park before. Can you show me around the park tomorrow?" Eren said instead.
"Yes!"
"Only if Mommy agrees," Eren added as he looked up to his mate.
"Um, yeah. Sure, why not," Levi answered timidly, eyes avoiding his.
"I'm excited!" Little Eren cheered.
And that's when Eren decided that he lived a good life. But he won't allow himself to die of cuteness from his mate and son.
Eren watched them go, he wanted to make sure they arrived home safely but it would odd if he offered them a ride home and he knew exactly where they lived. Thankfully, he was saved when Levi's mother came to pick his family up.
Eren decided not to introduce himself to Kuchel yet and watched from the distance as his family went home without him.
Home.
Resting his back on his door. Eren stared at his empty house. It's still a house and never a home until he'll see his mate drinking tea with a book in his hand and his son running around with Captain.
His family was his home. And he missed them so much even when he just met his son and mate.
Wiping the tears on his face, Eren forced himself up. Moping around won't help him right now. With determination, he turned on the lights, unboxed all the home stuff that Marco got him, and started filling up the first floor.
Tomorrow, he'll visit the park with his family. Maybe if they have time to spare, Eren would invite them over.
"That's a nice plan," the brunette smiled.