A/N Bit of a longer chapter here, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to post again so hopefully this'll tide you over until I do. I love reviews, they really keep me going and I'd love if you popped by to leave a recommendation or maybe something you'd like me to write. -Lyn
Eren stood very still as the short alpha rose from his seat and took slow, calculated steps toward the omega. Everyone knew that when an alpha looked at you like that you did not run.
"Levi, why are you harassing my staff?" Erwin asked, clearly not worried about it. Levi didn't answer, circling the omega in a predatory way. He sniffed the air several times in order to take in the scent he now knew belonged to his mate and tried to place exactly what it was. It was like sweet grass with the sharp undertone of some exotic flower you instinctually knew was poisonous. It was made even better by the fact that he knew he was the only one who could smell it as sharply as he did.
Eren, meanwhile, was fidgeting nervously. The alpha was letting off waves of possessiveness and intense alpha pheromones that Levi seemed completely unaware of. Eren remembered thinking it was funny that Levi was shorter than him but up close he realized it didn't matter, he took up so much space just with his presence that he didn't seem short at all. Eren let out a small, unbidden whine under the stress of Levi's powerful scent. Levi noticed and immediately attempted to reel in the pheromones that rolled off of him, with only partial success.
"What's your name?" He whispered, as gently as he could with a growl rising in his chest. He didn't want to scare away this precious little omega with his alpha nature when the younger man already looked so freaked out.
"Eren Jaeger." He said, voice tense.
"Eren Jaeger." Levi crooned appreciatively. Eren shuddered against his will and tilted his head to the side instinctively, showing his throat in submission. Levi growled despite his conviction not to and Eren's eyes widened. A slight scent of fear filled the air, mingling with the sweet scent of Levi's mate unpleasantly.
"This is just pornographic." Erwin muttered, having finished his dessert as he watched their interaction. He'd experienced mating as well and after a few moments had known what was happening. His voice brought Levi's mind back to where they actually were and he growled again, less playful and more angrily possessive. He was suddenly very aware of how close this other alpha was to his unbonded omega.
"Settle down. I'm mated." Erwin said, reading the situation perfectly. Levi stared at him, unblinking, as he spoke to a servant.
"Have my carriage brought around. I'm leaving." He said. Eren took a small step back and Levi's head snapped around at the noise, glaring until the omega held still again. "Erwin, I hope you don't find this terribly rude, we'll have to finish our conversation later." Levi told him, not actually sounding like he cared all that much about being rude.
Eren turned to walk back down to the kitchen, quite frankly a bit relieved at the opportunity to get away from the intense weight of the alpha's presence.
"Where are you going?" Levi demanded.
"Back to work?" Eren said. He hated how unsure he sounded. He hated the slight wobble in his voice, the hesitation. Levi quirked an eyebrow.
"Why?" He asked impatiently, genuinely confused. Eren had to push away the urge to roll his eyes and say something sarcastic, unsure how the intense alpha would take it.
"You're going home." He said instead. Levi sighed irritably.
"You're coming with me, moron."
"I'm what?" Eren sputtered. Erwin laughed loudly at that and Levi glared at him again.
"Do you have any idea what's happening right now?" Levi asked his blonde friend in disbelief.
"I think you've just been very subtly rejected." Erwin said, knowing it would spark the other alpha's anger. Eren knew it, too. Alphas did not respond well to challenges to their pride.
"No, no that's not what's happening." Eren said quickly. "I'm just going back to work because you're leaving." Levi's eyes narrowed.
"You're my mate, you're coming with me." He said, tone leaving no room for argument. Eren narrowed his eyes, the allure of his new mate wearing thin fast.
"I can't just…"
"Go." Erwin said, waving a hand dismissively. Eren turned to him, surprised. "What? I do remember when I found my mate. Have as much time as you need, just call the house in a day or two." Erwin said easily.
"I…I…" Eren trailed off. He wasn't even sure why he was reaching for excuses to stay. He was curious about the alpha and he wanted to follow him, his body instinctively seeking out the mate he'd just met. Levi could see the conflict on the omega's face and let out his mating scent again in an attempt to subtly affect his decision. Eren almost instantly took a deep breath that he wasn't aware of and Levi smirked.
Got him. He quickly settled his face back into neutrality when Eren looked at him.
"Okay." Eren said slowly. "Okay." He said again, more confidently. He nodded his head as though he had just made a large decision and turned back to the servant door.
"Where are you going?" Levi asked again, exasperated. He could have sworn they just decided he was going with his mate.
"To get my jacket, chill." Eren said. His eyes widened slightly with the realization that he had just back-talked an alpha. He bared his neck for a brief moment before sweeping out of the room.
When Eren got to the kitchen he was greeted with dead silence. Startled, Eren stopped, hand reached out for the jacket that hung on a nearby hook.
"What?" He asked after a moment.
"You just met your mate." Jean said, looking at Eren suspiciously.
"Yea, so? What's it to you, horse-face?" Eren snapped. He was a bit more defensive than usual because of the extra embarrassment brought on by finding his mate in such a public fashion.
"Eren!" One of the girls squealed. "Oh my god you found your mate!" Eren felt a slow, shy grin spread across his face with a blush chasing after it.
"I did, didn't I?" With that simple sentence the kitchen erupted into laughs and 'congratulations' and suddenly Eren gasped.
"And he's waiting for me! I've got to go." He said, grabbing his jacket and sprinting out another door, providing a quicker path to the front. He tugged on his jacket as he went and slowed down when he saw that the front entry way was empty. Frowning, he went back to the dining hall and stuck his head in.
"Are you ready?" He asked. Levi looked up from where he had been speaking with Erwin in hushed tones.
"Yes, one moment." He said something else to Erwin and the large blonde clapped a hand on his friend's back, laughing loudly. Levi scowled and made his way to where Eren was waiting.
"Let's go." He said simply, the alpha already comfortable with taking a more dominant and leading role with Eren. The omega obediently followed and they stepped outside into the night.
The carriage was very nice to Eren. There were lanterns on the outside and a single lantern hanging from the ceiling inside, bathing everything in a gentle light. The driver had helped Eren into the carriage, making Eren smile and quietly thank him, while Levi had simply gotten in on his own, the driver knowing his aversion to assistance in such mundane things. Once inside, the two sat across from each other and stayed silent as the carriage began its journey.
"So… we're going to your house?" Eren asked awkwardly. Levi had been staring at him unblinkingly and it was a bit concerning.
"Yes. How old are you?" The question catches Eren off guard and he was suddenly draw to the fact that Levi looked more than slightly older than him.
"I'm twenty one, and you?" Eren asked, curious as to how big the age gap was, exactly.
"Thirty." He said shortly. It wasn't rude, just…concise. He was answering the question and that was it.
He's not very talkative with me, but with Erwin he seemed very friendly. Maybe he's nervous too. Eren thought to himself. In these close confines he had a better look at Levi and now that he was calmer he could actually appreciate and comprehend what he saw.
Levi was very pristine. It was the only word to describe it. His uniform was crisp and gold embellishments gleamed. His perfectly straight back didn't touch the soft seats and his perfectly polished boots gleamed in the faint light.
"How long have you worked for Erwin?" Levi asked.
"Three months."
"Ah, that explains it. I've been in the field." Levi said. Eren furrowed his brow.
"Explains what?" He asked.
"I smelled you before we met, but I didn't recognize it. I've been in the field for the past four months, which explains why I haven't met you before." Levi informed him after the gentle prompting.
"In the field. For the military, right?" Eren said.
"No." Levi responded dryly. Eren narrowed his eyes. Was he messing with him or was he trying for humor? Eren couldn't tell and Levi continued after a moment as though his first response had never been spoken. "Yes, I was gone for military reasons. Normally I am not sent into the field unless I specifically ask to be included in something due to my actual job requirements."
"And what is your actual job?" Eren asked, cupping his chin in his hand and resting his elbow on his knee. He was genuinely interested in this strange alpha.
"I can't tell you. It's top secret and very few people know everything that I do. I tell anyone that asks that I'm a consultant."
"So why didn't you just tell me that?" Eren asked the other curiously. If he wasn't going to tell the brunet what he did, why not continue on with the lie? Why make him aware there even was a lie? Levi didn't answer his question and merely looked at the omega for a few minutes, the sound of horses, turning wheels, and jangling harnesses their only respite from total silence.
"Why were you working for Erwin?" Levi asked suddenly.
"I needed a job and he was hiring?" Eren said uncertainly. It seemed pretty straight-forward to him.
"I mean how did you end up a domestic servant?" Levi clarified when he realized that was the extent of the answer he was getting.
"Oh, well omegas as young as I am don't have a lot of options, do we? We could join the military, like you did, but our training is longer because we have to be taught not to submit to every alpha we come across and how to actually fight. Most omegas instinctually run to find help rather than stand still in danger. There are other jobs, sure, but most put priority on alphas and mated betas. The only jobs that actually seek out omegas are domestic things." He said, his voice steeped in an emotion even he couldn't identify. Longing, maybe? Looking at the careful blankness of Levi's face he quickly continued.
"Not that it's all bad! I'm not complaining! Betas are normally pretty good about being careful around us. They help if they can because they can be mated to an alpha or an omega and know what it's like being bossed around. I know some alphas that take special pride in helping omegas, too. I have this friend, Mikasa, she's a beta and her mate used to walk home her omega friend every day to keep other alphas off of her." Eren realized about halfway through the rant that he was rambling but he couldn't seem to stop himself and only noticed once he did that Levi's face hadn't changed once the entire time in the carriage.
"Ah, I bet this is all pretty boring." Eren said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Do you have an alpha like that?" Levi asked. Like all of his other questions, it was unexpected and his face revealed nothing about the reason for the question.
"I've really only got one alpha I'd call a friend. Her name's Sasha and she works with me for Erwin. She's too gentle for the army and other alphas don't like her very much. That being said, she's terrifying when she's pissed." Levi made a little humming noise to indicate that he understood and they lapsed into silence again.
Levi resisted the urge to cross his legs and bounce his knee with nervous energy. He wanted to know more. He wanted to ask the questions buzzing around in his head but he also didn't want to scare his new mate off. He had to carefully keep his face neutral in case his expression gave away something he didn't want it to. He'd already said more than he intended when he told Eren more about his job than the normal lie. He wasn't even sure why he'd said that much. He also wasn't sure why it bothered him so much that another alpha was friend with his omega. Eren hadn't insinuated that the alpha was interested in him at all, and even if she was Levi was confident he could threaten her off.
Levi waited for the younger man's questions, sure he had more. You didn't meet your mate often, and he was bound to want to know more than the general things he'd already asked. Instead the brunet looked out the window, his left hand absently stroking the cloth of the seat. Levi looked out the window himself and wondered how much longer it would take for them to get to his home. It had never seemed this long before.
Knowing that he had work to do the next morning, Levi thought about what he should do about his new mate. He didn't want him to just keep going around like he always did. Now that Eren and Levi had found each other Eren's mating scent was going to be coming off of him 24/7 until they bonded, attracting other alphas. As much as Levi would love to do it, he doubted he could just say 'bond with me' and have Eren actually listen. Especial during their first meeting. Levi sighed harshly. This was going to be very difficult.
"Are you alright?" Eren asked, concerned by the sudden sigh.
"Fine." Levi replied. The carriage finally stopped and after a mere moment the driver opened the door.
Eren watched as Levi exited the carriage first and followed him, allowing the driver to help him again. He gave the driver another smile and quiet thanks before stepping onto the ground and looking up at where they had been deposited. Eren immediately gaped up at the house. It was huge. Way bigger than anything one person could ever need. After a moment of awe the omega realized his alpha had kept walking and was at the door, being let in by a maid. He hurried to catch up and the maid's eyes widened when she saw him, clearly knowing he was an omega. He gave her and uncertain smile and she quickly schooled her face, trying not to offend an apparent guest of her master's. Eren pretended not to notice the several long sniffs that the maid took when he passed her. There was no way she could ignore the fact that both he and Levi were giving off mating scents. Eren felt both an irrational anger and embarrassment rise up in him. Levi paused and glanced at Eren over his shoulder.
"Are you alright?" He asked. Eren smiled and berated himself slightly. With all of this happening he hadn't been controlling his scents as well as he should have. He was basically a giant walking billboard displaying all of his emotions.
"I'm fine, sorry. Side effects of my suppressants." Eren lied. Suppressants could cause mood swings and lack of scent control but his hardly ever did. Sometimes they did make him really sick, though.
"Ah." Levi said before turning back around and continuing on his way. Eren followed him after a moment, unsure where they were going.
After a minute Levi walked through an open door and sat down on a comfortable looking brown couch. Eren sat in a chair across from him, a small coffee table between them. He could have sworn he saw a flash or irritation of Levi's face but it was gone almost as soon as he thought he saw it.
"So…we're mates." Eren said. Levi smirked.
"I'm glad you figured that out." Eren gave an awkward smile at the joke and was silent for a moment as Levi watched him carefully.
"Tell me about yourself." Eren tried, thinking it strange that he was leading the conversation instead of the alpha.
"You know the general things already."
"Okay… then let's just go back and forth with questions." He suggested. Levi nodded after a moment and Eren began. "What's your favorite color?"
"Green. How many sexual partners have you had?" Eren's face was instantly set aflame with a bright blush and he rubbed the back of his neck again.
"How, jumping right in there, aren't you?" He chuckled nervously. Levi really didn't seem bothered by how personal that question was and Eren briefly wondered if he was always so direct. "Uh, are we counting one-night stands?"
Levi felt his lips try to twitch downwards with the necessity of such a clarification. Had the omega had a lot of one-night stands? Levi had a feeling that he'd be hunting down a lot of alphas.
"Yes." Levi decided. He watched Eren's eyes flick to the ceiling for a moment as he thought and he looked back at the alpha as he answered.
"Four." Eren finally said. "My turn, how many sexual partners have you had?" Levi thought he could hear some jealousy in the younger man's voice, but perhaps he only imagined it.
"Two. How many of them were one-night stands?"
"Well, I'm not sure what your definition of a one-nighter is but mine is someone I slept with for my heat without having a romantic relationship. By that definition, three of them were. Do you like your 'consulting' job?" Eren asked, using air quotes.
So most were for his heat. I suppose that's not as bad. Levi thought to himself.
"I like it well enough. It's important work. Were all of your partners alphas?"
"You're really stuck on me having sex. No, they weren't. Two betas, an omega, and an alpha. The alpha was actually the only one I was dating. Why are you so stuck on my relationships?"
"You're mine now." Levi said bluntly. "I want to know how many people I need to convince you're no longer available." Eren's eyes widened fractionally, probably in shock, and Levi allowed a moment to watch him before asking his question.
"You said they were for you heat, but you also said you were on suppressants, how does that work?" Levi asked. He instantly smelled a flood of embarrassment and wondered if his heightened awareness of the other would last or if it was because they had just met.
"I've got issues with suppressants, they give me some pretty bad headaches the closer to a heat I get and I can get super sick sometimes. So in the beginning I would just not take them occasionally. I figured it was easier to rent a motel room for a few days than be curled around my toilet bowl." Eren said with a shrug. "How do you like your tea?"
"Black. Who's the alpha you were with?"
"His name is Bertolt Hoover. Do you sleep with your door open or closed?"
"Closed. Should I be concerned about this man?" Eren gave Levi a dark look that said he was done entertaining those sort of questions. The short man decided that the rest of his questions could wait and was about to ask something else when Eren answered.
"No. He joined the military, went to the field, and I haven't heard a thing from him since. I don't even know if he's even alive or in Maria or what. If he suddenly decides to get back to me he'll have to worry about me." Eren growled. Anger and irritation were rippling off him in waves and Levi instinctively let out a soothing scent to counteract his mate's sudden upset response.
Eren took a deep breath and let it out, somehow much calmer than before. He found that the room suddenly seemed flooded with a subtle smell he couldn't identify but found pleasant. He glared at the alpha sitting across from him suspiciously.
"What are you doing?" Levi gave the smallest hint of a shrug before responding.
"You were upset, I calmed you down."
"Alphas can do that? It's never happened before." Eren said skeptically.
"Well I'd hope not. You don't know very much about mates, do you? We can calm each other and communicate in ways we can't with anyone else." Levi explained. Eren bristled slightly at the implication he didn't even know what was happening between them, but truth be told he really didn't. A clock in the corner of the sitting room chimed several times and Eren glanced at it instinctually, doing a double take.
"Oh shit, I've got to get home." He said, surging to his feet. "Uh, it was great meeting you, I'll see you soon."
"Why, exactly do you have to leave?" Levi asked, rising to his feet as well. Eren almost rolled his eyes but held them through sheer willpower.
"I live on my own since my sister moved in with her mate, I need to work two jobs. I work for Erwin from noon to ten at night and I have another house I work in from seven in the morning to eleven." Levi seemed to think about it for a moment and shrugged.
"Quit."
"Levi," Eren sighed. ", I have a house to pay for. I need to eat. I can't just quit."
"Live here." The alpha countered, confidence radiating from him easily.
"You're awfully trusting of someone you just met. I could be a murderer."
"So could I, but you trusted me enough to come to my house without kicking and screaming. Besides, you're my mate. You couldn't kill me even if you wanted to."
"We're not even bonded!" Eren protested. This was just too much for him. You don't meet your mate, drop your life, and go live with them after seeing them once.
"Stay the night and I'll bond you." Levi said simply. Eren felt himself flush again.
"Absolutely not. I'm going home and I'm going to work tomorrow." Eren informed Levi, not really leaving him any room to argue. Levi raised an eyebrow.
"You're awfully outspoken for an omega." He said dryly.
"And you're my mate. Good luck." Eren responded with a smirk. Levi glanced at the clock and sighed.
"Alright, I'll walk you home. I'd offer for my driver to take you but he's off for the rest of the night."
"No need. I'm fully capable of walking myself. Goodnight, Levi." With that Eren turned and walked back out to the front door and left the house, going to his own home. It took about forty five minutes and he made it home just after one in the morning.
Levi watched the receding figure of his mate through a window and thought about what was going to happen. He was going to see him again the next day but realized a bit belatedly that he had no idea where his other job was or where the brunet lived.
You dumbass. Levi growled internally. After a moment of berating himself for not thinking ahead, he decided that it couldn't be that hard to track down the omega. He knew one of his employers, after all. The promise to find Eren the next day in his head, Levi retired to his bed. The day had taxed him more than he'd liked to admit, even to himself.
