Anonymous

Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Category: M/M Fandom: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan Relationship: Levi/Erwin Smith Character: Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Erwin Smith, Petra Ral, Hange Zoë, Isabel Magnolia, Farlan Church, Mike Zacharias Additional Tags: Alternate Universe Modern Setting, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe Urban Fantasy, Slow Build, Clubbing, Music, Shameless Smut, Sexual Violence, Non-Consensual Blow Job, NonTraditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics Stats: Published: 2015-05-17 Completed: 2015-10-15 Chapters: 18/18 Words: 59102


Chapter Summary
Erwin confronts Levi about Marie's murder.
Levi dropped everything and ran. Out the door, down the stairs, his feet thundered over the treads. If Erwin was here, the pack was here. Isabel and Farlan…why didn't he check on them before coming up here? Why didn't he-"Guh!" he exclaimed as something large slammed into him. The stairs rose to meet his face, but Erwin twisted with Levi in his arms, and they tumbled down to the next landing. Levi ignored the fact that Erwin had just taken the damage and tried to lunge down the next flight of stairs.
Erwin held firm, and Levi collapsed with his arms trapped under Erwin's. His feet kicked, trying to at least make them both topple down the last flight of stairs. Levi's torso begged to expand so he could breathe, but Erwin was too strongly wrapped around him.
Levi grimaced at the feeling of Erwin's breath in his ear. His body temperature piqued with anger, lack of air, and something Levi refused to acknowledge. He finally got his left hand free, and he gripped the edge of the stair. Erwin squeezed around him and the last of his air wheezed out of his lungs. Levi's body failed him, and he went slack, his vision blurring.
His lungs filled…and then they filled again….and he slowly became aware of Erwin's body around him, his arms expanding so Levi's torso could stretch for air, and his unbelievable warm, fresh, clean scent around Levi, filling his nostrils and making his head swim all over again. Levi fought against the hormones that rose within him and tried to get his right arm free, but Erwin tensed around him again. "Let me go!" Levi growled.
Erwin jerked his body, jostling Levi. "I'm not here for them, Levi! I'm here for you!" That only made him increase his struggles. Levi finally managed to get them hanging over the edge of the stairs, but Erwin twisted again so their feet hung over the edge instead of their heads. Levi growled deep in his chest, causing Erwin's alpha instincts to react; he picked Levi up just enough to slam his back on the floor. Levi's teeth chattered and his eyes went wide at the sight of Erwin looming over him.
Levi shook his head, striding back toward the door. "My food's cold and all I want is to bathe. Call me if you need anything," he added to his siblings. Erwin moved out of his way and Levi heard him apologize again to Isabel and Farlan, wishing them goodnight.
Levi was almost to his floor when he felt a presence behind him and abruptly turned to find Erwin behind him again. For a towering figure, he moved awfully quietly. "What are you doing?" Since he was behind him on the stairs, Erwin gazed up at him. "I'm seeing that you get home safely. Although, if you live up here because of me, I think you can move back in with them, now." Levi scowled, discomforted by how easily Erwin read the situation. "For the last time, we're not pack. I don't want to be a member of your pack, and if we're fine, then we're fine. You don't have to see me anywhere." For a long moment, Erwin's expression was eerily placid, and Levi half-expected to be thrown down the stairs for such a remark to an alpha. He stood his ground, though, refusing to reveal his fear.
Erwin finally blinked and looked away, nodding. "You're right. I shouldn't impose where I am not wanted. Good night, Levi, or good morning, as Farlan pointed out." Levi's lips parted as he watched the alpha turn and descend the stairs without looking back. Levi resumed his path in the opposite direction, shaking his head to clear it of thoughts of-"Levi." He froze and peeked over his shoulder at Erwin on the landing. "I'm sorry for chasing you after the incident with Marie. I should have realized I was frightening you by running after you." Levi frowned as he processed his words. In his panic, he'd thought a lot more people had been chasing after him, but if it was just Erwin…what did that mean? He asked as much: "Why were you chasing me? Didn't you have a body to clean up? A pack to mollify?" If he didn't know any better, Levi would have labeled Erwin's smile as bashful right then. "The pack could wait; you were the one running. I wanted to catch you and assure you everything was all right…or as all right as the occasion could be. You know, I pride myself on being faster than my size allows. It's one of the reasons I became pack alpha-I'm just as fast as I am strong…but you astonished me. The way you leaped over the car barrier…" He shook his head, but didn't avert his gaze from Levi's. "You deserve wings." Levi swallowed thickly, no longer hungry for the cold burrito waiting for him.

Sweet Things
Chapter Summary Levi's life returns to normalcy until his apartment is discretely broken into.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes "Vanilla cappuccino!" Levi called before tearing his apron off. It was the last drink of his shift, and now he was tossing his apron in the direction of wall hooks and striding out of the café. The girl who'd handed him the glass of water two days ago-Michelle? Mika…Mikasomething-called out, "Turn the espresso machine on before you leave! We've got three orders!" He did so in passing, the whir of the machine and crackling of grinds sounding behind him as he left. Levi didn't bother remembering names because the employees were just regular people who were either not connected to a pack or completely ignorant of packs' existence; plus, he was already on his way to his next job at the library.
As much as Levi enjoyed having his clothes smell like coffee, cinnamon, and vanilla, the job at the library was his favorite. There was a massive bike rack on the side of the antiquity-styled building, and it was quiet. Not to mention they sold tea and snacks at the price of a broke college student's budget.
Speaking of, he passed the study area strewn with tables, one of which Isabel sat with her nose in a book. Behind her, Farlan was flirting with a girl from some class. They often came here after classes finished to study, be with friends, and see their brother. Farlan ceased flirting when he saw Levi drop a parcel of mocha-caramel bark beside Isabel. It was just a bag of jagged, crumbly candy -the leftovers of the coffee shop-but he always brought them for his brother and sister.
Isabel's eyes were slightly pink around the edges from staring at the textbook, but her smile shined as she looked up at him, the corners of those eyes wrinkling. "Thanks, Levi," she whispered gratefully.
"Mm!" Farlan approved around a bite. "Salted caramel! The café's stepping it up." Levi climbed to the next floor and began returning a cart of books to their shelves. The walls were glass, so he could see Isabel and Farlan studying below, as well as the library's foyer even further down. The high windows illuminated the place with golden light and fractals as it split through the glass walls. Some murmurings wafted from below, but up here only the scrape of pages disturbed the silence. Levi was able to let his mind go numb, his thoughts wandering as he returned tomes to their shelves.
He turned the corner, and had already set three books on the shelf when he realized who was standing next to him. "Hange?" He brushed his teeth in the shower and sat on the toilet seat, taking his time drying and cleaning out his ears. He wanted to just fall into bed nude, but in the summer heat and less-than-ideal air conditioning, it was easier to wear a pair of underwear and a t-shirt to absorb the sweat, then just change into something clean in the morning.
Levi bowed his head as he walked to his bed, languidly pulling a brush through his hair before letting it fall to the side as he planted himself face first on the pillow. He was already meeting the watery depths of slumber when a hushed sound reached his ears, not unlike an intake of air or a sniff through nostrils.
"Oh, I never knew you were omega." His eyes popped wide open and he was rolling off the bed to his feet instantaneously. He was so tired, he hadn't even noticed Erwin sitting on the other side of the futon. Levi's chest was heaving with defensive anger as he pointed finger at the door. "Get. Out." Chapter End Notes I just really like Erwin barging into Levi's space.

Chapter Summary
Levi's home is about to be turned upside-down.
"Don't you want your mug?" Erwin asked, holding up the dishware Levi had given him that morning.
"I want you to get out!" Levi growled. "It's four in the fucking morning! You have no reason to be here!" "Yes I do," he declared, still holding the mug aloft. "It's not my fault you wouldn't let me in if I tried." Levi's nostrils flared as he breathed for patience. "Did you break in here while I was in the shower or did I walk right past you?" "Both," he gestured to the corridor. "You walked past me in the hallway and I slipped in when your bathroom door closed." Levi scrubbed a hand over his face, glaring at Erwin between his fingers. "What will it take for you to get the fuck out?" Erwin's hands settled on his lap around the mug. "Breakfast would be nice." Levi's nails clawed at his cheek until he animatedly threw them in the air. "I don't have time for breakfast! I'm working tomorrow. All of tomorrow, with your pack members, no less!" "Do you have a gig tomorrow?" Erwin deduced, much to Levi's consternation. "Where is it?" "None. Of. Your. Business," Levi growled.
Erwin's eyes narrowed and his lips pursed slightly as he contemplated, "It's at the Rose isn't it? Knowing Pixis, that wouldn't surprise me." Levi's fists dropped beside his hips. "You're not invited!" "It's a public place," the alpha reminded.
"Shut up! You're not invited and you're not coming!" "Why not?" Erwin exclaimed, those blue eyes gazing up at him pathetically. Levi scrubbed his hands over his face again, fisting his hair in frustration. He really didn't have anything better to say than the truth.
"Because I don't want you there!" Erwin scoffed before his eyes. "And here I am about to buy you breakfast." Levi's hands trembled in the air like he wanted to throttle him. "You're not buying me breakfast! I am sleeping-not eating!" "Fine," Erwin said, looking at his watch. "Five hours should be enough. I'll pick you up at nine." Levi blinked dumbly. "Huh?" Erwin stood so the futon rested between them, but he turned with a stern expression on his face. "Just answer me this: pancakes or waffles?" "Neither!" "Waffles, then," Erwin decided on his way to the door, where he chimed, "Sleep well!" Levi stood there with his jaw open. What the hell just happened? He marched forward, making sure the door was in fact closed and that the lock worked before resuming his prone position on his bed. He glared at the side of the sheets that smelled like Erwin, and he dejectedly rolled over to the other side.
Despite the intrusion, Levi's exhaustion pulled him under, and next he knew, he heard a light knock on his door, followed by the sound of it opening. He ignored the fact that he'd awoken on Erwin's side and mumbled, "Why doesn't my lock work?" Erwin smiled and held up a key. "Isabel let me in." His eyes widened. That was the last time he brought her mocha-caramel bark.
Rising from the bed, Levi strode forward and snatched the key before closing the bathroom door behind him. He'd skipped dinner the night before and his stomach betrayed him by gurgling loudly. Swiping the bar of soap over his neck and face, Levi washed and brushed his teeth before he pulled on a clean pair of jeans. It occurred to him that Erwin had now seen him in his underwear thrice, but the man seemed more determined on getting Levi to breakfast, instead of keeping him out of his pants.
Isabel and Farlan would already be in class by now, so Levi shoved the key underneath their door and planned to chew them out over it later. In the mean time, Levi had to deal with Erwin's stupidly nice car as they drove to his restaurant of choice. At least the venue didn't seem too upscale, although the hostess looked up at Erwin with sparkling eyes to hear his reservation name. Any place that needed reservations was bound to be expensive.
Levi reminded himself, as the waiter handed him a menu, that he was not only cushioned by funds at the moment, but he had more gigs scheduled in the upcoming week. That hope, along with the surprisingly reasonable prices made his stomach prickle with hunger.
"What can I get you to drink?" the waiter inquired. "Orange juice? Coffee? Mimosas?" Levi peered at him from under his brows. Champagne first thing in the morning? Did the wealthy celebrate their wealth like that?
"Two mimosas would be nice," Erwin accepted, along with a glass of water. He met Levi's glare and assured, "On me." The waiter turned to Levi expectantly. "And for you, sir?" "Give me the strongest fucking tea you have," he uttered, rubbing his temple. The waiter left without a word. Levi examined the menu, finding that the place specialized in gourmet waffles and omelets. His eyes locked on an image of avocado spread on toast with smoked salmon, poached eggs, and a side of cubed potatoes smothered in spices, cheese, peppers, and onions. His mouth watered.
The mimosas arrived: two large champagne flutes of bubbly, yellow fluid with two frozen raspberries floating on top. Levi blinked as Erwin tapped his flute against his in a silent toast. He watched the glass rim rest on Erwin's lip before diverting his attention to his own beverage. The champagne tingled on his tongue and in the back of his throat, but it mixed well with the orange juice. Levi suddenly understood why it was a brunch and breakfast drink.
Price be damned, Levi ordered the smoked salmon heaven, relinquished the menu to the waiter, and drank his mimosa while he waited for his tea to cool. Usually he drank it black to avoid buying sugar or milk, but since both were given to him, he was stirring his spoon when he noticed Erwin watching him. "What?" "You're thinner," Erwin stated, eyes scrutinizing Levi as if his clothes weren't there. "It's only been a week, and yet you're definitely thinner. Though I'm not concerned because you were quite heavy the last time I held you. What do you do for exercise?" Levi shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He made it sound like he held Levi on a regular basis, not just while falling down stairs. "Parkour." Erwin's brows rose. "That explains it. I've never seen anyone run the way you did. I've certainly never been able to." "Because you've never had to." Those blue eyes were soft as he wondered, "What do you mean?" Levi focused on the pink fruit bobbing in his glass. "You can't outrun anything if you've never been afraid of everything. An alpha like you wouldn't understand." Erwin was silent for a long minute, and then he asked, "Was that why you didn't ask about the rival pack?" Levi's gaze lifted. "What?" "When I told you that Marie worked for a rival pack, you didn't ask who it was. Also, beyond Isabel and Farlan, your background is incredibly vague. How many packs have you had to run from?" Levi spun his glass between his fingers for something to do. "All of them," he admitted quietly. "There was no point in asking." "Ah…" Erwin breathed, nodding his understanding. "Being omega, I can imagine you weren't treated well." If food wasn't on the way, Levi might have walked away from this conversation. Given that critical circumstance, he simply declared, "I don't want to talk about this." "All right," Erwin agreed, and then prompted, "Can I ask you about Farlan and Isabel?" Levi eyed him warily. "Why?" "They're human. Obviously they know about packs, but I suppose I'm curious as to how you found them." "It doesn't matter how they found me," Levi reiterated. Erwin's eyes flashed with that tiny piece of information he'd given, but he stayed quiet. "They don't judge a person based on how they smell. They don't act like mindless animals." Erwin laughed, catching Levi off guard. "I guess you wouldn't like Mike, then." "Who?" Levi felt like he was being x-rayed, the way the light hit those blue, blue eyes. "Oh, he wasn't there when we were first introduced. Mike is alpha as well, my second in command. He judges anyone and everything based on his sense of smell. Nice man, just…different." One of his dark brows lifted. "I'll just take your word for it." The corner of Erwin's mouth lifted. "I'd be honored if you did." The food thankfully arrived at that moment and Levi plunged his fork and knife into his meal. His eyes lolled from the melody of smooth avocado and salty salmon on his palette. The runny egg yolk acted as its own sauce, and even though he savored every bite, it was gone within minutes. The potatoes were equally delicious but Levi wished he had eaten them first.
Erwin took him to Petra's afterward, and Levi dropped his rucksack on her couch while she and Hange wished their alpha good morning. Once he left, Hange was beside herself with glee, taking Levi's backpack as a whole instead of waiting to be given the notebook. Between her and Petra, Levi was left on the couch, only disturbed if he deemed a melody off-putting or if they called for his input.
Levi didn't even realize he'd fallen asleep until his tranquil dream state was shattered by a familiar sniffing sound. When his eyes burst open, however, it wasn't Erwin leaning over him, almost nose to nose. Levi stared dumbfounded at the tawny blonde man with a light scruff before a name emerged in his head. "You're Mike." "And you're Levi," he returned kindly, but something in his eyes made Levi infinitely unnerved while lying on the couch beneath him.
"Mike, leave him be," Petra scolded. "He needs his beauty rest for tonight." "Oh yeah?" the man asked, intrigued. "What's tonight?" Levi sat up as Mike joined the others in the kitchen. Levi startled internally at the sight of Erwin snacking on zucchini chips behind the island. The pack alpha smiled a greeting at him and returned his focus on Mike. "Pixis scheduled them to perform all weekend." "Woah," Mike leaned his elbows on the quartz countertop beside Petra. "That means you're good. I'll be there tonight." Hange perked up from her soundboard and loop machine. "If your drunk ass gets us kicked out of the best paying gig in town, I'll take your nose off, alpha." Levi watched, transfixed as Mike guffawed and returned, "You'd have to reach it first. Maybe if you put him on your shoulders," he nodded toward Levi. "He's heavier than he looks," Erwin jibed, meeting Levi's gaze.
Hange rotated and summoned Levi over, placing her headphones over his ears. "Tell me what you think and if you like it, memorize it. We gotta be at the club in two hours." Levi took Petra's laptop, which the headphones were connected to, and resumed his place on the couch to listen to the music the women had created. He vaguely heard Mike in the background ask, "Wait, isn't that new? Doesn't he have to rehearse with it?" "They're his lyrics," Petra explained. "He sings when he wants to. I kind of like it; everyone has to wait to hear the finished product, even us." Levi turned the volume up, drowning them out until it was time to depart. Erwin and Mike stayed behind, but only because they were going in a separate vehicle. As much as this annoyed him, Levi preferred not knowing when or if they arrived. The last thing he needed was to be self-conscious about something he enjoyed, something he was genuinely good at.
The Red Rose was in full swing when they climbed up to the stage. Pixis gave Levi a nod in passing, and he found a slightly different microphone waiting for him on the counter. A blue piece of tape was around the base, labeled Water Proof. He noticed that petite shelves were behind the bar, loaded with towels.
He nodded to Hange, who began playing her beats while Petra faded the current music out. This time, when the crowd recognized the music switch, they looked up and cheered at the sight of him. That's new, Levi thought, not sure if he liked it or not.
They started with familiar songs, and began adding their new pieces as the night went on. Levi moved with his words, invigorated as he always was when he heard what Hange and Petra made with his writings. When his clothes were officially clinging to him with sweat, he glanced back and locked eyes with Petra, nodding again at Hange. He heard the echoing beat begin to play, quickly followed by a steady percussion and melody. Levi hummed into the microphone, and heard Hange's foot step on her loop before he crooned another brief melody, hearing his own voice replay over the speakers.
"It's you who I've been waiting to steal. You who I can't reveal. Don't you feel my hunger, can't you…feel how you've undone me?" Levi's body bowed over, bobbing lithely with the music. He lifted the microphone to his lips again to give Hange another loop to layer into the song. It began to build as he sang, until a steady drum beat between his words, "Is it not clear, my fear? I want to be the one you steal. I want to be the one you want, the one you hold up high. I want to be the one, your one, your entire sky-" The song reached its climax, and Levi opened his arms for the water that rained from the sprinklers over the stage. The crowd below erupted in screams and applause, but Levi didn't hear them. The balls of his feet pivoted, twirling him across the stage gracefully as water poured over the sides. It sprayed off his limbs as he danced, singing for himself and no one else.
The song's finish was like a spell being broken. The music faded, the water trickled to drops, and then nothing. Levi stood erect, palming a hand over his scalp, raking the tresses off his face. It was then that he heard the thunderous applause ricocheting around him. But his time as the performer was done, and he had to return to being a civilian. He flicked the switch of his microphone, set it on the console, and met Hange's grin. She and Petra were underneath an awning to protect their equipment, but they both beamed at him. Levi went to find which booth Pixis was stationed so they could get paid and leave, but he found Erwin and Mike first. He scolded himself for feeling his heart drop in his chest; he knew they were coming, there was no reason to feel ridiculous. As he came nearer to the booth they were hunched over, though, Levi began to feel that something was very, very wrong.
Mike's head perked up, and he nudged Erwin's shoulder. Erwin glanced at Levi and Pixis followed his gaze, gesturing for him to approach. Levi did, and found himself surrounded by alphas, even if one of them was sitting down. Pixis handed over two moneybags this time and murmured discretely, "Get home, and get home fast, boy." Levi remained still while his heart started beating double time. "Why?" A gentle, warm hand slid over his shoulder, and Levi was able to smell Erwin in this place of sweat, alcohol, and perfume as if none of it existed.
"We have suspicion that the rival pack knows who killed Marie," he said in Levi's ear. "You're not safe to go home alone." He shrugged Erwin off as discretely as he could since eyes were watching them. Pixis declared, "It'd be best if he didn't go somewhere commonplace at all." "I have to go back," Levi countered. "Isabel and Farlan-" "I've already sent people to get them," Erwin assured. "You're moving in with me." Levi's body shivered, but not because he was drenched. "Huh?"

Chapter Summary
Living in Erwin's house is proving to be just as ideal as it is dangerous to Levi's sanity.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes "Absolutely not!" "Levi," Erwin sighed, exasperated. "This is for your own protection. For Farlan, and Isabel. I have plenty of space, really." "I'm not concerned with how much space is in your mansion! I'm not staying in your house like a kept omega bitch!" "It's hardly a mansion," Erwin refuted. "Although there are four bedrooms that need to be filled. Please, Levi. I insist you be my guest." Levi stiffened, hyper aware of Erwin's hand on his shoulder as he was guided out of the Rose. That hand had inched its way closer to the crook of his neck, making him feel vulnerable and reluctantly pliant. Behind him, he could hear Hange squealing with glee.
"Slumber parties! Levi, what do you like for breakfast? Petra! We have to buy groceries!" They finally emerged from the heat of the club at the same time Erwin's phone went off. "Hello?" he answered kindly, despite the firm set of his jaw and cold steel of his eyes. Levi once again tried to shrug him off, to step away, but Erwin pulled him back. At this point, Levi was sure he wasn't even consciously doing it.
Stupid, control-freak alphas, he growled to himself. He felt that hand relax somewhat as Erwin replied, "Excellent. They're welcome to anything in the house." His phone disappeared inside his coal grey jeans and his eyes locked with Levi's. "Your family's safe. They're already at my place, so stop your squirming. I think you'll find it quite comfortable once you let yourself enjoy it." With that, Levi grabbed Erwin's wrist and threw his hand off his shoulder. "Don't fucking do that! Don't manipulate me like she did to everyone else!" Erwin gazed at him, stunned. Behind him, Mike, Petra, and Hange were equally statuesque. Mike uttered, "You're feisty for an omega." Petra looked up at him and back at Levi. "Omega?" Hange shrugged. "He just smells like a coffee god to me." "Hush," Erwin ordered, and to their credit, even Hange's jaw snapped shut. Erwin seemed genuinely apologetic as he said, "You're right, Levi, and I'm sorry. When it comes to pack safety, I don't usually consider how others might be opposed to my arrangements." "We're not pack," Levi growled haughtily.
"You may as well be," Petra snapped, taking both Levi and Erwin off guard. The latter smiled guiltily. "She's not wrong. I know you're uncomfortable with this, but Isabel and Farlan are already at my house waiting for you. They're probably just as startled as you are and I need you in a place I can trust until this matter is resolved. As of yet, you're a wanted man for killing the mate of one of the most powerful alphas in the city…it just so happens not to be me." Levi processed that and then his shoulders slumped. "How the hell did you piss off Nile Dok enough for him to send his mate to spy on you?" Erwin tipped his head, saying, "Nile's just as greedy as Pixis but half as honorable. Come along, we can't stand in the street all night." Levi tentatively followed beside Erwin back to his car. He felt a nudge on his right shoulder, causing his arm to tense before Mike leaned in to commend, "An omega in charge of two betas? You're all right." Hange harrumphed. "We are what you call, a team, asshole. Look it up." "Love you too, sweet heart," he chimed over his shoulder. "I smell coffee grinds on you. Where do you work? I'll give you a lift tomorrow on my way to work. I'll take a tall, double shot coffee as payment for the ride." Levi grimaced and folded himself into Erwin's car. Mike rode with Hange and Petra as if he sensed Levi's aversion to being locked in a steel box with two alphas. Erwin's car purred to life and he smoothly steered into traffic. In the darkness of the vehicle, Levi examined Erwin out of the corner of his eye. The man was dimly illuminated by the electric indigo light lining his dash's meters, but it set his eyes alight with blue fire. Levi scrutinized his sleek, black button-up shirt, rolled up to his elbows. The shirt, like his grey jeans, fit him loosely enough to be comfortable, but tight enough to accent his lean, strong figure.
Levi discretely leaned back in his seat to examine the obviously expensive leather oxfords on his feet, but his gaze returned to Erwin's face. That gold hair was what countless people paid for from a bottle and still did not manage to achieve. Some might think his nose was too large, but really, it would look ridiculous otherwise since every other feature was equally as bold. His eyebrows were thicker than Levi's but just as sleek over those striking blue eyes. His cheekbones were finely prominent but enough to cast a shadow on his cheeks, flanking a mouth that caused Levi's body temperature to skyrocket and hastily look away. He reminded himself that Erwin was straight and immediately felt his heat fade. His gaze drifted over blurring shops and lights after that.
Before he knew it, Levi felt a familiar sway of his body and found them turning into Erwin's neighborhood. The gatekeeper waved to Erwin and lifted the barrier Levi had once vaulted over. The car cruised deeper into the community than Levi had ever been, but he knew immediately which house was Erwin's. "Not a mansion, my ass." Erwin chuckled. "It's smaller on the inside." "I think you're a liar," Levi scoffed as he shut the car door behind him. The garage door made a racket as it slid down but Levi was keenly aware of how empty it was. Granted, he had not been in many garages before, but he'd ridden past several gaping ones that were packed with shelves, gardening supplies, and other things. Erwin's had his car and a rubbish bin, that was it.
The garage opened to the kitchen, which was similarly designed like Petra's but twice as large. The quartz countertops were shiny from a recent cleaning along with the glass doors of the cabinets. There were two islands, one with an extra sink and an inlaid, wooden section for chopping things, while the other had chairs around it for dining. A bay window was off to the side, displaying the side yard garden.
Erwin led him though a short corridor that opened to the foyer and living room. A wide staircase crawled up the wall of the foyer, on which Isabel and Farlan were coming down. Farlan came down the stairs first, slamming into Levi with a hug but he kept an arm out for Isabel to tuck herself between him and Levi. The latter breathed them in, finding relief and calm in their familiar scents.
When they parted, another smell hit Levi's nostrils that puzzled him. How long had Erwin been living in this house? It still smelled brand new. His alpha smell should have permeated the very dry wall of the place, and yet all Levi could smell were lingering odors of paint and fresh laundry.
"Is everything comfortable in your rooms?" Erwin inquired from afar, giving them space.
Farlan answered, "Uh, yeah, but we were taken from our place in a hurry. We haven't any clothes here." "How are we getting to school in the morning?" Isabel agreed, still in Levi's arms.
"I'll drive you on my way into the city," Erwin assured. "Or Mike's offered to give Levi a ride to work. He has enough room in his car for you to join them. As for your clothes, I'll have someone stop by your place and bring them here." Isabel stood by Farlan as she asked, "How long are we staying here?" "I'm afraid I can't answer that," Erwin responded. "You are guests here, so you can leave whenever you wish, but I'd advise against it. Until I come to some sort of agreement with the pack giving us trouble, this is the safest place for you." "How long will that take?" Farlan interrogated.
Levi cut in, "Stop being ungrateful brats and get to bed. You have to be up in four hours. Go," he added when his siblings looked rebellious.
Erwin smiled pleasantly as he watched them trudge up the stairs. He sat on the spine of the couch in the living room with his arms loosely crossed. "I thought you weren't happy about this arrangement, either." Levi scratched his scalp, feeling the light dampness lingering in his hair. "They've got grades and shit to worry about. Not this." "At this time of the summer?" Erwin wondered.
"Summer courses," he shrugged. "They want their degrees faster, and they get bored too easily." Erwin nodded his understanding, unfolding his arms to rest his hands by his hips on the couch. He peered at Levi closely. "You hardly seem older than they are. Was university not to your liking?" Levi scowled, trying to seem like a decorative vase was more interesting than Erwin. "I'm older than I look. How old are you?" "Twenty-nine," he answered readily. "You?" For some reason, Levi hesitated. "Twenty-four." "Oh," Erwin blurted.
Levi glared at him. "What?" "Nothing," he shook his head. "You just keep surprising me." "What's surprising about my age?" Levi questioned, vase forgotten.
Erwin smiled, shaking his head. "Nothing. You're just interesting, is all. Here, I'll show you your room." Up the stairs, Erwin informed him that Farlan and Isabel's rooms shared a bathroom, while Levi and Erwin's rooms had their own. The alpha opened the door for him, and Levi examined his new living space. The bed was full sized, just like his one back in Isabel and Farlan's apartment, but in this room there was room enough for two of them, as well as a wide dresser that stretched the spans of the wall. The bathroom sink was shaped like a massive shell and the showerhead was directly over the tub, enabling a rain effect.
"There are some toiletries in the cabinet under the sink," Erwin informed, but Levi turned around and found a small pile of clothes being offered to him. He stared at them vacantly until he realized what Erwin was offering.
"I can't wear your clothes," he declined. He wasn't even sure where Erwin had gotten them so quickly, but Levi knew they would not only swallow him, but would also drown him in alpha scent.
"I don't have any of yours here yet," Erwin stated, pushing the raiment forward. "Toss your clothes out here before you shower. I'll stick them in the laundry for tomorrow. This is only for tonight," he said, taking a step forward so Levi had to accept the pile.
Something a lot like victory glinted in his eyes as he left the room. Levi swallowed his pride and dumped the clothes on the toilet seat, turning on the shower while he stripped down. Throwing his sodden garments into the hallway, he rummaged beneath the sink for the toiletries and bathed quickly. When it came time to pull on Erwin's shirt, Levi held it up first, glaring at the size of it. The long sleeve's fabric was soft against his skin, though, so he rolled up the sleeves and tightened the drawstring of the shorts. Levi inhaled, and exhaled a sigh, softly padding to the door and opening it to look his host in the eye. "Yeah. I'm fine… Thank you…for this…" Erwin was dressed in a white, V-neck for bed above pajama pants, that blond hair dusting over his forehead. It looked slightly disarrayed, like he'd recently carded a hand through it. Levi felt like he was being x-rayed again as Erwin's eyes wandered over his frame, observing his own clothes on Levi's body before a slight curve lifted his lips into a smile.
"You're very welcome. My room's just around the corner. Don't hesitate if you want anything. Sleep well. Oh, and Levi?" He hesitated as if to make sure he had Levi's full attention, and then smiled warmly, "You were incredible tonight." Levi stiffly nodded and shut the door, shaking his head to alleviate the drugged feeling of having an alpha so close; but he couldn't do anything about the heart threatening to leap out of his chest.
Before climbing into bed, he considered removing the shirt to be rid of Erwin's scent around him, but he heard the air conditioning kick on and soon the house transformed into an arctic tundra, so he dove under the thick comforters fully clothed, burrowing deep under the covers.
The rich harmony of coffee, bacon, and something sweeter was what he awoke to, and Levi trudged down the stairs to find a pan sizzling on the stove, a waffle maker gently steaming as batter cooked, and not only a coffee maker gurgling, but a tea press. Erwin stood by the stove with his back to him, wearing a white button up and steel grey trousers while a matching suit jacket hung from one of the bar chairs.
"Morning, Levi!" Isabel chimed from the seat next to Erwin's jacket.
The man himself rotated and smiled sleepily. Despite being dressed for work, he murmured huskily, clearly waiting on the coffee, "Good morning. How'd you sleep?" Before he could answer, Farlan stumbled into the kitchen, barreling right into Levi's backside. He was thrown forward whereas Farlan caught himself on the island. Levi didn't have enough time to catch himself, so his body curled and pushed air from his lungs so they would feel less impact.
When the fall didn't come, he opened his eyes to find a white clothed arm around his chest, and he felt another encompassing his waist. Erwin set him on his feet and ran a palm down his back. It was meant as a comforting, stabilizing gesture, but Levi's spine rippled slightly, hyper aware of Erwin touching him.
"It's too early for this," he grumbled as he rubbed the sand from his eyes, mostly to hide the blush rising up his neck and cheeks. That hand remained on his spine, fingers splayed between his shoulder blades as Erwin ushered him to the tea press, where a mug awaited him.
"Sugar's here," he murmured, opening a cabinet and removing a jar of sugar cane cubes. "Milk's in the fridge. I'll get it." He gave Levi's shoulder a barely noticeable squeeze, but Levi was certain he was closer than it was necessary to open a cabinet, set the milk on the counter, walking behind him to flip the bacon on the stove… Levi took the tea, sugar, and milk to the island at which Isabel and Farlan sat and prepped his caffeine there. He shook his head slightly, rattling his thoughts back to the numb, groggy state of caffeine deprivation.
"Sorry about that," Farlan apologized. He pulled out the chair beside him on the other side of the island and patted the counter. Levi accepted the offer and sat with his siblings the same moment a door opened somewhere in the house. "Erwin!" Mike's voice called. The man in question chose not to answer, since a second later Mike strolled into the kitchen, led by his nose. "Top o'the morning, all," he smiled at the bar and then plucked a strip of bacon right out of Erwin's pan. He shook the excess grease out on the waiting paper towel before crunching contently.
After he'd finished and stolen another piece, he lifted his hips to sit on the counter in front of Isabel and Farlan. "I'm Mike. Erwin mentioned you two needing to get to school? What time's your first class?" While they arranged transportation, Erwin set plates loaded with bacon and waffles in front of each person. He also set out three choices of syrup: maple, pecan, and blackberry. Levi was less than stunned but more than impressed. "You take breakfast seriously." Erwin smiled, choosing to eat his meal on the other side of the island in front of him as opposed the far side of the island, where his jacket rested. "Best meal of the day." Levi was not accustomed to feeling so overwhelmed by food in the morning, so movement was slow going up the stairs and dressing. Before they all piled into Mike's car, he noticed Erwin was not following them, presumably going on his own to whatever job he busied himself with.
"What do you do for work?" Levi ventured.
Blue eyes perked up and he answered, "A few things. Real estate, mostly. It helps to know this city inside-out… I've got a meeting with Pixis to finalize the property arrangements." Levi's eyes widened slightly. "You bought property from him?" The blonde flashed a smile. "Most of the neighborhood once belonged to him. By lunch time, I'll be alpha to about a thousand acres." "How did you convince that avaricious bastard to sell you prime real estate?" Erwin straightened his collar as he explained, "His interests changed…mostly from my convincing. He came to the realization that nightlife was not only exciting, but highly profitable." The glimmer in his eyes was deviant and victorious. "Not to mention he gets a wide selection of alcohol in the process." "Levi! Double shot coffee!" Mike called from the car.
Erwin chuckled as Levi glared in Mike's general direction. "I'll-" he began, but Petra appeared in the doorway, out of breath and smiling both kindly and apologetically.
"Hi Erwin! Morning, Levi," she kissed his cheek and held up his rucksack. "Sorry to keep you. You left this in my car." Levi shrugged the bag over his shoulder and scoffed congenially, "Took you long enough." As punishment, she kissed his cheek more forcefully and waved to Erwin as she dashed out the door. Levi peered upward to see Erwin gazing vacantly out the door. "You'll what?" Levi prompted.
Those eyes shifted to him, but the glazed, rather intent stare did not vanish. "I'll see you later." Levi's nose wrinkled as he marched out the door. He didn't know what he'd expected, but for some reason he thought the suave alpha would send him off with something better than see you later. Landing in the front seat of Mike's car, he scolded himself for expecting such a thing. See you later was not only a perfectly acceptable send off, but it was also accurate. Levi groaned, realizing that his disgruntlement was not because of Erwin's lack of finesse, but because he wanted that to be their last parting. As much as Levi despised himself for this, he wanted something to miss. Not something to be dependent on. It suddenly hit him like a sack of clay that his time in Erwin's house was essentially indefinite. That wide bed would be waiting for him, the shower which pressurized beautifully like a rain storm, and if Erwin cooked like that every morning… Levi groaned again, eliciting a curious glance from Mike.
After sending the man off with his coffee, Levi proceeded with the rest of his day, lasting straight through lunch thanks to the fluffy waffles and bacon. The sky was ominously grey and leaking the first drops of a storm as he made his way to the library. He plopped a parcel of white chocolate chips between Farlan and Isabel's elbows, causing them to jerk their chins up. "I expect the keys I give you in the future to not trade hands," he growled.
Farlan smirked and Isabel gave him a displeased shake of her head. "We can read people just as well as you can. It's not like you were in any danger. Besides, if your dumb ass can't wake up for a date, then someone has to meddle." Levi blinked with surprise, but immediately refuted, "It wasn't a date. That idiot alpha wants us to join his pack, and started the process with a gesture to make sure I knew the Marie fiasco was settled." "Not much of an idiot if he's got you sleeping in his house," Farlan pointed out, sipping one of the library's iced coffees.
Isabel agreed, "You shouldn't shoot him down to that extreme. He's trying to help you; that doesn't mean he'll demand you swear whatever oath packs do. Why would he want you in his pack if you so clearly refuse to be?" "He's a real estate agent and a pack alpha," Levi leaned over the table so their conversation remained private. "A larger pack means more viable claim to land, which means more sway in pack dealings and overall city management." Farlan's gaze was deadpan. "If he runs the city like he makes breakfast, then I'll sign up for pack membership right now." Isabel giggled, infuriating Levi because he'd been thinking along similar lines just hours previously. Changing the subject, he asked, "How are you getting back to his house?" "Mike's picking us up," Farlan answered and then glanced at the massive clock hands on the glass wall. "In forty-five minutes actually, but do you want us to wait for your shift to end?" "Don't bother, I'll be late tonight," he replied, and then climbed the stairs to do his job. His time at the coffee shop seemed to breeze by compared to how the afternoon dragged. Levi caught himself staring out the windows at the bluish-grey storm and cityscape, not unlike the color of his eyes. When a voice purred over the intercom, announcing the library's closing in fifteen minutes, Levi blissfully exited onto the library's terrace. The flagstones were soaked and while usually the terrace was used for grilling meals for summer studying, right now it was the perfect platform to dive into the city.
Cinching his backpack tight on his shoulders, Levi took a running start, hopped onto the stone railing, and flew through the curtain of rain. Like a feline landing on a ledge, Levi bounded over the neighboring structure's balcony, running along the rail and flipping horizontally to the plinth of some statue that was currently gone for renovation, and then he caught himself on the railing of a parking garage. Hopping from level to level, Levi dropped until he could run through the concrete garage and leap out of the other side to where the buildings acted like a makeshift stairway toward the city's park.
Levi's heart drummed strongly as he landed in a roll over the grass, and used the green space as a massive shortcut across town. Some folks braved the storm to practice yoga or jiu jitsu on the lawn, but mostly he had only the cars and fountains to deal with. The park spread to the outskirts of the city, where the Smith pack claimed space for their neighborhood. Levi vaulted over the rustic, wooden fence and crossed the street, vaulting again over the car barrier.
The rain was absolutely pouring when his hand finally closed around the front door's knob, but when Levi turned it, the interior mechanisms hit a blockage. Locked.
How the hell had Mike gotten in? Did he have a key or was the place locked down for the night? Levi turned, trotting down the stairs to try the garage or around back, or hell, even just climbing up to his window-"Yeek!" Levi squawked indignantly when he was yanked backward by his rucksack. The front door shut before him and he was physically rotated to face Erwin's fiery blue irises.
"Fucking hell, Levi, don't you know you're in danger?" he growled, and then his expression opened as he took in Levi's appearance. "Did you run all the way here?" Levi huffed peevishly, observing how he was soaking the welcome mat and hardwood beneath his feet. "Let go of me, you oaf. I'm ruining the floors!" Erwin sighed as if he were exasperated. "I don't care about my foyer, I care about-" "Shut up and move," Levi ordered, abruptly terrified how Erwin was going to finish that sentence and not wanting to hear it. However, he seemed to have triggered Erwin's alpha instinct, because those large hands planted themselves on either side of him.
"You need to understand the situation," Erwin declared darkly. At the moment, Levi was aware of his rucksack digging into his back, sandwiched between him and the door. "Nile Dok is rash and shrewd, but he isn't a fool. I can't tell if he knows who killed Marie or if the person is still anonymous, but I can't risk you being out late and alone for him or other packs to find." Levi met his glare evenly. "I've dealt with Nile's kind, plenty, and it's not even an issue because the only tie between me and this pack is the fact that you're housing me. If he figures out who I am, it's easy to disconnect your pack from association, especially since you witnessed me killing her." Erwin's expression altered, and if Levi didn't know better, it was like Erwin had taken a personal affront to his words. "Do you really believe I would throw you out like that?" Levi scowled. "I believe you're paying too much attention to me when you should be working to figure out what Marie thought you had no idea about. You knew about the bank accounts, but if she was as smart as Nile credits, she would have snuck something else past you." "Don't worry about that," Erwin chided, and then his head shook and an odd smirk curved his mouth. "Although I am curious what you took to mean how I was not fucking interested." Something kindled in his memory, but he stared warily up at Erwin. The man finally eased off the front door so he could get the backpack off Levi's shoulders. Levi protectively snatched the bag from him but pointedly kept his chin down as Erwin wondered, "What do you think she meant when she said that?" A frustrated sound escaped Levi's throat as he shot back, "I don't know, did her chili recipe fall short?" A similar sound of frustration mixed with impatience burst from Erwin, and Levi gasped as he felt himself lifted and pressed against Erwin's large body and the door. His mouth crashed into Levi's, kissing him hungrily, demandingly, and the bag fell from his grasp. He wasn't sure whether to kiss or not to kiss, but either way, Levi was having trouble just keeping up. He clutched at Erwin's hard shoulders, one of his heels hitting the wooden door with a soft thunk.
Erwin released his mouth to whisper raggedly, "Do you know how hard it is to let you go after you fall into my arms?" Levi's mind was both sputtering and racing a million miles an hour, but before he could think of a response, Erwin's lips found his once more. This time, Levi was ready. The instant their lips locked the way they were supposed to, the moment he registered just how soft Erwin's lips were, he was lost. Erwin broke the kiss with a weak, wet sound and tilted his head while pushing Levi's lips apart. The teasing tingle of Erwin's tongue on his lips oddly sent Levi's mind back toward clearer waters. "B-But," Levi stuttered, gasping as if his lungs couldn't get enough air. "You were with her for three years." "You can imagine her frustration," Erwin murmured deeply, making Levi's eyes roll involuntarily as he nipped and tickled Levi's ear. Erwin's chest vibrated slightly against Levi's, thrumming pleasantly when he spoke. "I doubt Nile was upset though." Levi could barely breathe let alone think. Had Erwin not had sex in three years? He said as much, or as much as he could with the man leaving open-mouthed kisses down his neck. "She wasn't suspicious…of…three years of not…?" "I'm not one to sleep with another man's mate, Levi," Erwin declared pointedly. He lifted his head to meet Levi's hooded eyes. "Besides, I was distracted." "Wha-humph!" Levi exclaimed, which was meant to be, What the hell does that mean! before Erwin's mouth took it away. With each kiss, Erwin's tongue lavished the seam of Levi's lips, making him shiver and tremble, which only caused a soft rumble to vibrate in the alpha's chest. Levi would have sworn his tongue betrayed him by meeting Erwin's the next time he licked, but then Levi's mouth was flooded with the taste of Erwin, and he could only focus on breathing.
Just as soon as Erwin's tongue was in his mouth, it was gone, instead intently licking and kissing Levi's neck once more. Levi felt him pause and ask, "Levi, where's your-ah…here…" Levi realized what Erwin was searching for the moment one of his arms snaked up to turn Levi's chin, exposing the scent gland behind his ear. His eyes went wide when Erwin's tongue poked and stroked the sensitive membrane, causing Levi's head to fall back and eyes to droop shut.
His cranium felt heavy, too leaden to hold up. Levi was hot, useless mush against Erwin's torturous mouth on his gland, until a particularly hard press of his tongue woke Levi's body up like a firecracker. His heels thunked against the door again before wrapping around Erwin's waist. He gasped a moan as his groin rubbed against Erwin's palpable erection straining in his pants.
Erwin growled loudly and rutted against Levi like he was barely holding himself together. His fist slammed against the door beside Levi's head, shocking him right into their present situation. He froze around Erwin, feeling like he'd just been thrown upside-down on the shore by lusty waves that were quickly receding.
Erwin felt the change in him and backed off. Levi swallowed at the sight of his moist, swollen lips and wanting gaze, but when Levi trembled, it wasn't from desire. Erwin quickly set him down and read the frightened expression in Levi's eyes. It was his turn to swallow thickly, and after a strenuous moment, he nodded curtly.
"Just so you know." Chapter End Notes :)

Chapter Summary
Levi emotionally and physically prepares for another week of performances.

Chapter Notes
Just a heads up: I'm deviating a little bit from the traditional werewolf dynamic that A/B/O stories usually have. The characters are werewolf-ish, but not straight up werewolves...I explain in the story but let me know if it's still fuzzy.
See the end of the chapter for more notes Levi beat his pillow into a different shape, but no matter what he did, he could not get comfortable. In the darkness of his room, he felt the ghost of Erwin's lips across his, and imagined strong arms squeezing him just enough… Just so you know.
He growled into his pillow to stifle his frustration and then promptly threw it across the room. It landed against the closet doors with a soft poofth sound.
I know you didn't fuck Marie because you're crooked as a fucking paperclip, and now I can't sleep because of you, you asshole! But another issue was in the forefront of his mind, and that was how Erwin said he'd been distracted. Levi felt his insides plummet at the notion that he might be what distracted Erwin, keeping him from falling for Marie…and then they flipped back up, thrilled that Erwin might have actually been distracted by him despite only interacting with him three times in as many years.
Levi sat up angrily, wide awake and certainly not getting a wink of sleep tonight. He lifted his backpack onto the bed and pulled out his notebooks and pens, and then found that he was not sure what to write. The pages taunted him, glowing emptily in the darkness. He propped the book on his knees, curling up with his back against the wall as he tried to banish Erwin from his thoughts, his body, his palette.
Even though he'd brushed his teeth for a good five minutes, he knew the taste of him like it had been branded into his memory. Levi's lips parted as his mind fell into a haze, and those phantom lips molded to his or his scent gland tingled numbly and Levi had to shake his head roughly. He hadn't been in this house for thirty hours and already he was more preoccupied with Erwin Smith instead of Nile Dok and everyone else who had a price on his omega head.
The tip of Levi's pen hovered over the page. His hand moved over his lips, shielding them from the memory of Erwin's as he admitted what truly bothered him: he wanted Erwin, but he didn't want to want Erwin. He'd been attracted to the alpha since the first moment he saw him, but not only did Levi never believe the alpha would be interested in him, he… Levi started writing, the pen scrawling across the page, projecting his innermost concerns and fears, his brutal truths into the safe realm of music. It was both beautiful and cruel how music was the only safe environment for him to vent everything he was.
The sun was rising as he turned the page, still writing. He was so engrossed in writing, rewriting, crossing out, and writing again that he did not notice Erwin leave his room until smells began to rise from the kitchen. Levi's head perked up warily, his stomach growling after eating only one meal the day before. He seriously considered just climbing out the window, retrieving his bike from Petra's and having breakfast at the café, but he wasn't a coward, nor did Erwin deserve that.
Levi readied for the day so all he would have to do was grab food and get to work, and by the way Erwin's head popped up, eyes roaming over his raiment, he knew Levi's intentions. "Good morning," he said quietly.
"Hmm," he responded gruffly, not trusting himself to speak. He gave Erwin a wide berth as he crossed behind him, grabbing the tea press and sitting beside Isabel at the bar. "Do you have a ride today?" She gazed at him, reading him like a book but she was experienced enough to not voice her concerns aloud. "Yes. When will you be at the library?" "Same time," he assured her. "I'll be at Petra's tonight if you need me." Erwin glanced over his shoulder, eyeing the book beside Levi's elbow. "When's your next gig?" Casually not meeting his eyes and pouring his tea, Levi responded, "Tomorrow. We have three this week." Considering tomorrow was Wednesday, Erwin was not unjustified in commenting, "Busy." Farlan observed the conversation and lifted a brow at Isabel, waving a butter knife in the air. "I can cut the tension better than the butter with this." Levi took that as his cue and gulped half the tea down before it scalded his throat. He was striding through the kitchen door when he heard Erwin say, "Excuse me," to his siblings, polite as ever.
Don't follow me. Don't follow me, Levi begged internally, pleading with his instincts and his wants to be reasonable. Don't touch me. Don't push me against that door because I want it so fucking badly-"Levi. I'm sorry." He froze, slowly turning around to find Erwin on the other side of the foyer. Levi's grip was tight on his notebook, waiting for whatever hold Erwin had on him to release. "I'm sorry about last night," he explained. "I shouldn't have been so forward with you. I want you to be comfortable here, I do. I don't want you to run from me." Levi met his earnest stare for a moment before he had to look away. "I can't…" he began. He was about to say that he couldn't return his affections, but that was a downright lie at this point. Instead he uttered, "You shouldn't help me because…because you like me." Is this fucking grade school? Levi chided himself. 'Like' seemed like an understatement for what they would have gotten up to if that kiss had continued.
Erwin's response was immediate. "I'm helping you because you're innocent. I kissed you because I want you." Levi was frozen in place, with no defense against the hot blush rising up his body filling his neck and face. His throat was dry as he swallowed. A tiny voice in the back of his head commended how 'want' was a far better word than 'like', but he was having immense trouble squashing that voice as he watched Erwin venture a step forward. His eyes were soft, never leaving Levi's as he slowly approached, giving Levi enough time to leave if he needed.
"I know you have your reasons to be wary of me," he murmured, and Levi felt that voice slither through his bones like water. "I don't know what those reasons are, but I won't force you into anything you don't want… I know you're attracted to me too, Levi, but I don't want you to let me in unless you can trust your secrets to me." Levi tried to meet his eyes, but what he was offering stymied him. Erwin stopped a couple feet away, giving him enough space while still being close. Levi swallowed, but his throat was dry. "You won't want me after you have my secrets." Erwin was silent, so Levi lifted his gaze and found those blue ones waiting as if he wanted Levi to see his sincerity as he said, "I doubt that. May I kiss your cheek before you go?" Levi blinked, his mind jarring to a halt. He's asking? An alpha's asking? His swallow was audible, trying and failing to moisten his parched throat as he nodded.
Just as slowly as he approached, Erwin leaned down carefully, allowing Levi time to change his mind. But those lips touched his cheekbone, gently pressing closer, and Levi's eyelashes fluttered shut.
His eyes opened as Erwin stepped back, and Levi was out the door. He placed his journal in Petra's mailbox before retrieving his bike and swinging out the gate. Mike didn't come in for coffee, so Levi managed to avoid an interrogation with him, but no sooner was he inside the library then Isabel cornered him between two shelves. "What was up with you this morning?" "I don't want to talk about it," he grated, shoving a book back onto the shelf forcefully. "Well I do," she declared, leaning her elbow on the shelf next to him, blocking his exit and also forcing him to look at her. "You and Erwin are acting strangely. Are you regretting a one night stand or something?" Levi grimaced and shrugged past her. "I have neither the spare income for condoms, nor the tolerance of questionable hygiene for one night stands." Isabel rolled her eyes, following him to the next section of books. "Erwin's not a stranger, and I'm sure he's completely clean. Even my human nose can tell how nice he smells." "The answer is no," he curtailed.
"Why not?" she asked, as if she was actually mystified by his answer.
He turned to face her, pulling off annoyed, pissed off, and flustered like only Levi could. "Because we hadn't exchanged ten words to one another and then I was carted off to breakfast and then shoved into his house!" "No one shoved you," she corrected in a deadpan tone. Levi felt a rumble in his chest as he growled but he wasn't angry enough with his sister for it to be heard. She continued, "I know you like him, and he is obviously nuts for you. He isn't like the others, Levi." Her tone softened and she rubbed her hand along his arm. "You're being an ass about this for no reason except you're nervous. Fine, you don't need to sleep with him, but cut the guy a break. It's been, like, three days and he's already done so much for us, and I think he would still be doing it even if you weren't a panther in the sheets." Levi recoiled, "Say something like that again and I'll cram a bar of soap in your mouth." Isabel giggled, stopping him from marching away by wrapping her arms around his waist from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. "It's okay to take things slow. Healthy, even. Just don't run from him, okay? Or from yourself. I've got calculus to finish," she concluded, giving his torso a squeeze before dashing down the stairs. She stopped and hollered back at him, "Petra's invited us to dinner! See you there!" Levi scrubbed a hand over his face. The current pit in his stomach was happiness, but it was so foreign to him that he stood there dumbly for several minutes. He wanted to believe what she said about Erwin being different, and now Petra was gracious enough to invite his obnoxious family for dinner…and here he was with a target on his back, a danger to everyone he cared about.
Just another Tuesday, he thought macabrely.
The storm from yesterday left residual clouds as he rode home, covering the moon and stars intermittently as the wind took them beneath the sky. Parking his bike against the garage so it was out of the way of cars, he strolled right into Petra's house and dropped his bag on the couch.
Hange greeted him from the kitchen, where she was helping Petra chop peppers and pineapples for grilling. "Hey boyfriend, I got your journal out of the mailbox. I've got some tunes for you to listen to whenever you're ready." "Later," Levi answered stiffly, but not because he was annoyed. He reached his arms above his head, sighing relief as parts of his back and shoulders popped. He swung his arms like windmills until he held them out to catch himself in a plank position over the carpet. Tightening his core and breathing deeply into his lungs, he lowered himself down before arching his spine so he looked upwards. More vertebrae audibly snapped pleasantly before he bowed the other direction in a downward dog stance.
As he worked his body through yoga stretches, he heard the chopping of vegetables, the gurgle of wine being poured in a glass, and the jovial chatter of Hange, Petra, Isabel, and Farlan. Petra was currently berating Hange for changing the address of several of her mail senders.
"You have a house!" she scolded, although Levi could hear the annoyed amusement in her tone. "Get your mail sent there!" "Why? I'm over here practically every night. The mailman knows me and already sticks my mail in your box anyways." "What about when I get married one day? My mate won't take kindly to a promiscuous roommate!" "You're right, I won't," Hange agreed, and then her voice piped, "Married? I better start looking for a wedding dress, shouldn't I? I didn't know you wanted to get all ceremonial about it." The front door opened. "Who's getting married?" Mike greeted. He glanced at Levi after Petra kissed him on the jaw and accepted his bottle of wine. "You're looking bendy this evening, Levi." "Parkour requires nimble strength and flexibility," came another voice that almost had Levi's bridge pose collapse. He shot an upside-down glare at Isabel, who popped a grape tomato in her mouth with a cute smirk.
"Parkour?" Mike wondered. "You've got big balls for a little man." "More like he doesn't mind getting his neck snapped on a building one day," Petra rephrased sternly.
"A bird never falls unless you break its wings," Erwin defended casually, accepting a glass of Mike's wine. Levi closed his eyes and willed himself through the poses and ignoring the next several minutes of conversation. By the time his entire body was feeling loose and wobbly from exertion, dinner was almost ready and he was swallowing back a glass of water when Erwin murmured, "I had a meeting with Nile today." Levi sputtered on the water and looked up at him. "Why?" "He and I go way back," he explained, "and I was the one who returned Marie's body to him, after all. We have a…unique, albeit strange friendship, if you can call it that. I know he's scheming behind my back, he knows that I know, and yet we act like it's a nonexistent chess game…" He shook his head at the ludicrous nature of it and continued, "He's upset, of course, and still mourning for her, but he oddly seems contrite about the event. He knows that Marie was prone to make rash decisions, like attacking you, but he blames himself for sending her to me in the first place. Plus, he's dealing with his brother in law more than anything at the moment." Levi's eyes narrowed. "Brother in law?" "Nicholas," Erwin nods. "He's alpha to another pack-" "I know who Nicholas is," Levi interrupts. He looks into his glass like it might hold an escape from his next statement, "And Nicholas knows me." He can feel Erwin's eyes on him, but instead of asking how Levi knew Nicholas, he assured, "He doesn't know who killed his sister. And we're going to keep it that way." "Then I might as well leave town," Levi stated quietly so the others wouldn't hear. His eyes were on Isabel and Farlan as he said, "Because he won't leave until he finds someone to blame." He felt Erwin shift beside him but his voice was steady as he informed, "Nile's a major pack alpha and police chief of the city. To appease his in law, he's got every railway, motorway, port, and walking path being monitored." Levi's exhale hissed through his teeth. "Like a fucking rat in a maze, except I won't find cheese." Erwin chuckled and Levi's breath caught in his throat as he felt Erwin's arm behind him, carefully touching his left arm with light, comforting pressure. "Except you've got wolves protecting you." Levi's chin jerked up, but Erwin was looking at everyone else in the room. Of course, their kind had always been associated with wolves due to the scent glands, sharp canines, heightened strength, speed, libido during the full moon, and in extreme cases, physical changes in times of distress or anger, but Levi suspected that Erwin's meaning went beyond that. Wolves were a pack, a family, and he was surrounded by that pack right now in this very room. The detrimental reality that he could be responsible for harm coming to these people… "Hey," Erwin purred, his hand closing around Levi's shoulder. "Whatever you're thinking, stop. You're the one with wings, remember? Stop putting weight on yourself." Levi scoffed, shaking his head and hiding his expression as he took a drink. "You're an alpha dork." Erwin laughed and Levi's attention was diverted to Mike telling a story about how they were playing football in the street one day and how the ball got stuck in Petra's rain gutters. Petra choked on her wine and accused, "YOU'RE the reason I have a freaking blockage up there? Do you know the havoc that stupid ball has been doing? Why didn't you tell me?" Levi met Hange's glance before she gracefully removed the wine glass from Petra's hand the same time Levi started heading to the front door. Setting his glass on the table by the door, he strode halfway down the drive before turning and peering up at the roof. With a running start, he jumped and pressed a foot against the brick, using the push to drive himself upward and gripping the edge of the roof. Levi easily hoisted himself over the shingles and started sifting through the muck of leaves, mud, bird feces, and a leathery prune that turned out to be the football.
When he dropped the disgusting thing on the landing of the front door, he heard a squeak of terror, and then he landed and saw the small crowd inside the front door. He thrust it into Mike's hands while they both grimaced; Levi for the state of his hands and Mike for the smell.
By the time Levi had finished scrubbing his hands and nails in the kitchen sink, the food was ready and they ate every morsel. Levi was helping a rather drunk Petra wash dishes as people started clearing out, leaving the three members of Anonymous to their work.
"Levi, could I have a moment?" Erwin said, poking his head around the small foyer. Petra took the plate from his hands and Hange was wrapped up in her headphones as he followed Erwin outside. Levi found him gazing up at the roof. "That was really nice of you to do that for her." He shrugged a shoulder carelessly. "You didn't ask me out here to talk about cleaning gutters." Erwin smiled sheepishly. "No, I didn't. I wanted to kiss you goodnight, but I thought you wouldn't want an audience when I asked." Levi scratched his scalp. The man was not wrong about that… "Kiss me where?" For a nocturnal setting, that smile was blinding. "On your cheek, of course. I'll let you initiate anything else." He hugged his elbows, considering. "On the cheek." Erwin nodded and began to lean down; Levi felt him sneak a hand up to cradle his nape as his lips connected with his cheek. Then Erwin surprised Levi by crossing to the other side and kissing the other one. The fact that the man had to pass by his mouth and walk away was something Levi could not ignore. Other alphas would claim his mouth if they were that close, whether he wanted it or not.
"Where is your gig tomorrow?" Erwin asked as he backed away.
"The Rose." Erwin's brows lifted, and then he realized, "Ah, ladies' night. You'll bring in quite a catch for Pixis. I'm afraid I won't be able to make it, but I hope to see you tomorrow sometime. Goodnight, Levi." "Night," he returned, trying not to be too obvious at watching the alpha stride down the street while he made his way back into Petra's house.
When the time came to arrive at the club, Anonymous had two more songs on top of the fresh playlist they sprang on the crowd on Sunday. Climbing the tall stage was oddly like a homecoming at this point, and Levi gave a thumbs up to Hange to get the music going. The beat was strong but the melody started rather melancholy compared to a regular club song, however it built in intensity and pitch while still maintaining a good dance rhythm.
He crooned the opening, "You broke my holds…all the things you do… Your type of fun…it can't be true…" He started thrumming with the next added layer of the song, picking up the pace. "Oh, I…I remember being 'lone-now all I see is gold. You're getting me hooked on something, you have… got me reaching for you." Levi could feel the song climbing for the bridge, the climax of the song. His hips moved as he roamed the stage, dancing in every way his body demanded. He whirled around, just in time to see a large figure barreling over the stage, crashing the air from his lungs while locking Levi in an iron grip, and before Levi knew it, he was falling.
Chapter End Notes I definitely meant for this chapter to be up sooner, but hey, life gets in the way. Like you really wanted to wait for a cliff hanger, right? muahahahaha Feral Chapter Summary WARNING: things get graphic...and not in a good way.

Chapter Notes
In case you didn't read the chapter summary, this chapter gets gruesome. Read with caution.
Unlike when Farlan knocked into him, Levi had time and distance to correct himself. His fingertips curled under the leather hoops at the base of his palm, and he tugged; his blade slipped through his sleeve and found its place in the assailant's jugular. Levi twisted, forcing the man who reeked of alpha aggression beneath him before they crashed over the bar. The man's ribcage crunched beneath Levi, who used him as a platform to flip over the bar, blade out and ready.
Pixis bellowed a command from the balcony, but Levi's stance did not relax as his eyes estimated the number of alphas coming through the crowd. They were not of Pixis' pack, and once they were off his land, they could do whatever they pleased with Levi.
If they got the chance.
They closed around him, but Levi struck the two nearest to him by leaping into the air, twisting horizontally so his legs locked around one man's neck. From panic and strangulation as well as Levi's momentum, they barreled into the second alpha, and Levi rose from the floor with fresh blood on his brace. Someone lunged for him, but Levi used the alpha's weight against him, simply plunging his blade into his chest so when he hit the floor, he was breathing his last breaths.
He barely dodged a blade hissing through the air. This attacker was quick, and moved with urgent need to either kill or maim Levi, and he wasn't interested to find out which.
But he wasn't expecting Levi's speed. Omegas were bred for submission, not escape. The man's jabs and swipes were blocked and dodged, but he could only stare dumbly as Levi moved on to the next attacker, unaware that his throat was slit before his knees hit the floor.
Once the next alpha fell, followed by another, Levi was given a second of reprieve to catch his breath…but his eyes widened at the sight of only more enemies approaching. In his peripheral, Levi could see Pixis gathering his pack to take hold of the situation, but they were either too few or too slow, and Levi took his chanced by ramming himself against the wall of panicked humans. They screamed but quickly figured out what he wanted, and parted like a sea toward the exit.
All too soon, he realized it was the most obvious escape, but he was already leaping into the air and crashing his feet against the door. He landed in a roll at the bouncer's feet, and instantly popped up to sprint for the nearest alleyway. Shadows of men emerged to block off the streets, so he spotted the nearest dumpster and ran for it. He pulled himself on top of it, leaped against for the high windowsill above it, and then he was hoisting himself onto the roof.
Alpha bellows and cries echoed behind him, but Levi was gone. His lungs filled with sharp night air as he sprinted over shingles, dived across alleyways to concrete ledges, and then landed on top of a massive delivery truck navigating through the midnight traffic. He rode it for a few blocks before grabbing the overhanging bar on which the stoplights were mounted, and swung himself to the sidewalk. The pedestrians startled and backed away from him, but he tucked his blade alongside the brace and let himself get swept with the crowd.
When he turned down an avenue and found it utterly empty of cars and people, though, he knew he'd made the wrong move.
Levi's knees were kicked out from under him and he landed harshly before someone gripped his hair, dashing his skull against the asphalt. He prided himself on having the hardest skull known in existence, but his eyes still lolled and he saw spots as his hair was jerked off the ground. Before he could retaliate, his right arm was wrenched behind his back, threatening to break.
"Keep that mouth open, omega," a cocky voice chimed when Levi yelled. His eyes opened to see a familiar alpha standing over him, undoing his pants. Levi's teeth gnashed together. The others around him laughed gruffly at the sight of the alpha's fat erection. "Alpha Nicholas will be glad to have his pet back. He needs the comfort while he searches for his sister's killer. Until then, open that mouth, omega." Levi scoffed, but they did not know why. Figures I'd be fucked over for being born wrong but not for killing the wrong alpha's sister.
His eyes bulged as angry panic began to set in as that cock came nearer. Levi felt his canine's lengthen and cut into his gums as the head pressed against his lips. That hand remained in his hair, but others joined it, holding Levi's head like a vice while his jaw was pried open. "That's it…" the alpha purred, and Levi gagged when it was pushed all the way to the back of his throat. Slick tears fell from his eyes, his gag reflex screaming while his lungs burned for air. The alpha's pelvis thrust again, causing a cry to burst from Levi's throat.
Not again… Not again… his instincts begged. More tears fell as the cock abused his throat. Chuckles and grunts of arousal sounded around him. Levi heard another belt rattle open, the zip of jeans opening.

Not again.
Levi bit, and he bit hard. The alpha screamed above him and Levi coughed the shortened member out of his mouth. In the shock of the scream, the holds on him loosened, and with the taste of blood in his mouth, rage in his veins, Levi whirled around, arcing his blade and scattering the circle of men around him. Some tried to grab him again, but he was lost to his fury. With blade and nails alike, he tore at their throats, screaming into the night.
"O-Omegas d-don't go feral!" one of them cried in disbelief.
Levi went for him next, relishing the taste of an alpha's fear in the air. His bluish-grey eyes had gone silver, his fingers curled like claws and his skin tightened, making every bone jagged and offensive, every muscle hard and unrelenting. He launched himself at the alpha, and when his back hit the ground, Levi stood to stomp on his throat.
The street was sprayed with blood. The only alpha left was the one whimpering over his sabotaged penis. Levi didn't spare him anything; he gripping his chin and jerked until he heard the telltale pop. Then he was dashing once more over rooftops, footfalls heavily chasing behind him.
A few hours later, Erwin entered his home, and froze, sniffing the air full of fear and worry. On the couch, Hange was ravaging her nails with her teeth and Petra's shot to her feet. "A-Alpha!" He dropped his soft leather brief case and his jacket, letting gravity place them where they fell, and approached. He strode forward, arms held out to reach for her, his instincts to comfort and protect guiding him.
But she held up a shaky hand, and Erwin knew what was wrong.
"Where is Levi?" "THEY TOOK HIM!" Hange shrieked, flying off the couch to wander the room. "WE WERE ON STAGE-OUR FIRST FUCKING SONG! AND THEY TOOK HIM! THEY JU-JUST TACKLED HIM OFF THE STAGE!" Erwin thought his eyes were going to leap right out of his skull. "He fell off the stage? The stage that is two stories high?" he growled measuredly, barely reigning in his tumultuously growing fury.
Hange and Petra knew they were not in danger but they cowered at the hot, almost feral scent roiling off of Erwin, his alpha instinct tearing at his insides, demanding to be freed. They sat on the couch once more, heads bowed, silently submitting and asking to speak. "Tell me everything," he ordered huskily, his voice no longer his own.
"It's just as Hange said," Petra exclaimed. "We had just started, and then an alpha ran onstage! The whole place was integrated with this foreign pack. Pixis was livid!" Erwin growled so loudly they reared back into the couch cushions.
"Where are you going?" Petra ventured.
"To show Pixis real lividity," Erwin declared, striding out the door.
"I don't think-" Hange dared, but then the door slammed behind him. The two women peeked out the door to find Mike running up the street. They'd called him as well, but at the scent of Erwin on edge, he came sprinting. He immediately fell into step with his alpha and folded into the front seat of Erwin's car.
"Keep the pack in the neighborhood until I return!" Erwin ordered as he reversed out of the driveway. Hange and Petra gave an affirmative wave before they turned and found Isabel and Farlan at the top of the stairs, having heard every word.
The Red Rose was locked down when Erwin and Mike arrived, parking right by the entrance. The whole team of bouncers-each a member of Pixis' pack-was standing guard.
"Alpha Smith," one of them stood in his way, "you can't enter without-" Then he smelled the rancid anger rolling off the alpha, and the bouncer couldn't step out of the way fast enough. "Mike," he rasped, his voice betraying how undone he was. "Got it," his second assured, already sniffing everything when they made their way through the club. As always, Pixis was sitting in a booth upstairs. He was navigating across the screen of a tablet, his brow deeply furrowed when his eyes lifted sternly and then widened at Erwin gripping his silk tie and shoving his spine against the wall of the booth.
"What happened?" Pixis's eyes gleamed with fanatical interest, but he knew better than to laugh in the face of an alpha on the verge of going feral. He pivoted the screen, calmly informing, "It'd be better to show you." Erwin's eyes darted to the screen, where it divided into two sections displaying dual security camera feeds. The halves alternated, showing different perspectives of the dance floor and stage as someone clearly darted right between Hange and Petra, aiming for Levi. Petra reacted quickly, and Levi turned, but he was already caught in the brute's grip, hurtling over the edge of the stage.
Erwin clenched the sides of the screen, only slightly relieved that Levi managed to kill his attacker and land unharmed. He watched as the crowd of dancers scattered, leaving only Levi and a hoard of enemies. A surge of pride erupted in Erwin's chest at the sight of Levi defending himself, fighting with the grace and power he was so capable of…until there were simply too many, and he had to run. The camera changed to a view of the street outside, and the footage ended with Levi dashing up the side of a building and out of sight.
Erwin's fiery blue eyes locked onto Pixis with renewed fury. "Why didn't anyone help him?" "Believe me," Pixis responded, "I am just as disappointed as you are. My pack should have reacted much faster than they did, but Levi was already gone. You know whose pack came for him, don't you? Only one is both stupid, and dare I say it, capable enough to sneak so many alphas into my domain." Erwin's teeth ground together, and he had to pace unless he lashed out at something. "Call Nile. Tell him to get his ass over here and to put a leash on his brother in law, before I find him." "Oh?" Pixis hummed, intrigued. He pointed to one of his pack members, who already had a cell phone to her ear. "Something you're not telling me?" "You and Nile are about to get an earful," Erwin grated, pacing up and down the length of several booths. "We're wasting time while Levi's out there undefended." Pixis' eyes glinted when he glanced at the woman lowering the phone from her ear, nodding. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the speed at which an old man like me, and a supercilious git like Dok can move." Erwin whirled around as the door to the club opened, and Nile Dok scanned the area before lifting his gaze to the balcony. The alpha glanced briefly at Mike on the stage as he climbed the stairs. He approached Erwin with raised, defensive arms. "What the hell is the fuss about, Smith? Pixis called and warned me you'd be breaking down either mine or his door, and told me we might as well get in one place to make it easy on you. What-" his hand flew up to cover his nose "-what is making you smell fucking neurotic?" Pixis spoke for him. "Your in law's merry band of alpha twits stole something quite precious to Erwin, not to mention, someone very profitable to me." "You told me Nicholas was ignorant as to who murdered Marie," Erwin growled, his tone warning Nile what would happen to a liar.
The alpha winced at his deceased mate's name, but he shook his head, "I spoke to him just this morning, and he was just as unreasonable as ever-" then his eyes narrowed, "Hold on, Smith. You told me you didn't…actually you avoided the topic of the culprit altogether! So help me, Smith, if you've been keeping that vile murderer-" Erwin roared, gripping Nile's neck and slamming his back onto the nearest table. Nile's alpha instincts bellowed in return, demanding control, but he was dominated by terror. His eyes were akin to saucers at the sight of Erwin hovering over him, Erwin's already wide shoulders growing wider with taut muscle, his canines lengthening while other teeth sharpened, and his blue eyes shined.
"Your alpha bitch attacked him!" Erwin thundered. "This doesn't concern Marie anymore! I want your entire police force out there searching for my omega!" Nile's adams apple bobbed against the claws around his neck. Erwin blinked and replayed what he'd just said inwardly. He released Nile and paced once more, dealing with the war tearing at his insides. Levi hated alpha control, that much had been obvious since day one, and Erwin did not want to dominate or suppress Levi in any means…but his head drummed with Mine. He's mine. Mine, Levi, you're mine, and that felt utterly right; the way things should be if this shit storm hadn't erupted.
"Omega?" Nile huffed, rubbing his throat and slowly rising from his prone position on the table. "But Erwin…there hasn't been an omega in…well, decades." "There's one now," Mike announced, striding forward to stand by his alpha. "I knew it the second I met him, but he's not like what we've known omegas to be. He's strong, and he'll go down swinging as hard as an alpha. Thing is, we've got to get to him before your shit head of an in law does." Nile scowled. "Why are you blaming this on Nicholas?" "Because he runs a pack of solely alphas," Mike answered tranquilly. "Having that many together breeds a…distinctive odor, which is all over this club." The man frowned, scratching his trimmed facial hair uncertainly. Erwin, after reigning control of himself, questioned, "Did Nicholas see his sister's body?" "Of course he did! As her brother and former pack alpha, he had that right!" Erwin looked at Mike. "Levi said Nicholas knew him. If he knew Levi well enough, one look at Marie's wound would remind him of Levi's blade under his sleeve." "I told you," Nile huffed. "Nicholas doesn't know. But if he knows this Levi person, then his alphas would have gone after the omega regardless." Erwin turned to where Pixis remained in his seat, watching the exchange with an intrigued expression. "Pixis, you have the most land in this city. How many of those properties have security feeds?" "All of them," he answered smugly, and guessing Erwin's intentions, added, "I will keep a look out for any sightings." Blue eyes trained on Nile. "If your pack or your police force comes into contact with him, don't attack him, don't try to restrain him, just hand him a phone with my number in it. Do you hear me?" He could see it in Nile's eyes, the desire to rebel, to assert his alpha position, but the man had the good grace to nod and Erwin was striding past him without further discussion. In the car, he asked Mike, "What else did you scent?" "The locations those alphas frequent," he informed. "If they've captured Levi and are keeping a low profile about it, I'll be able to find them." "Good," Erwin was able to say, the last of his control fleeing him. It was a wonder he drove so smoothly through the city, considering every building and every street could hold a clue as to where Levi was.
Pulling into his driveway, Petra met him at the door with Isabel and Farlan right on her heels. Erwin was grateful that his more benevolent instincts returned to him and he opened his arms to comfort the anxious siblings.
"He'll come back, won't he?" Isabel hoped. Erwin's morale swelled; if Isabel and Farlan believed Levi was not likely to be captured, that was reason enough to hope.
Farlan agreed, "We just have to wait for that stubborn buffoon to come back." But Levi did not return. On the contrary, several days went by, and he had neither returned to the café nor the library, let alone called anyone to let them know he wasn't coming in case they were being watched and could track his phone. He'd thrown his mobile into one of the park's fountains to avoid the matter altogether.
He'd thrown himself into that pond for a brief moment, to wash the feral stink from his skin so he left less of a trail in his wake. He kept to the shadows or streets overly populated with pedestrians to conceal his path to every corner of the massive city, checking to see just how guarded the exits were. He found at least three policemen and women at every one, mobile devices and radios at the ready. He could easily cut through them and be rid of this foul place, but one scream of distress over their radio, and he would be tailed to where ever he went.
When his bodily hygiene became too much for him to bear, Levi ducked into a barbershop. His hands snatched the nearest bottle of shampoo and turned one of the sink faucets on… His head snapped up at the sound of a door closing. He left the water running, his hair dripping with left over suds as shadows emerged from both sides of the shop. Levi kept his blade hidden, in the off chance that he could surprise them.
"You're a hard one to track down," one of them crooned.
Levi immediately counted four of them. "You don't have enough men," he warned.
"Maybe not," he shrugged, "but just we happened to see you dash in here and couldn't miss the chance to help our brothers out. Restrain him, lads." Levi twirled, blade out, and took down two of them, but out of nowhere came two more to fill their place. Levi hadn't eaten in days and his head swam from the exertion. Before he could fathom it, he was being held down on the tile floor, hands holding him down on his side while they probed his neck.
"Where the fuck are his glands?" one of them grated, struggling against Levi's efforts to be free. "Wait…are those…behind his ears! Fuck me, his glands are behind his ears! It's like…oh fuck, what are they called-gills! You've got fucking gills, you omega shit!" "No, the electric one," their leader growled at someone. A weight left his body and he eagerly tried to kick out, but a second later it was back, threatening to make his leg crunch.
A sharp buzz filled the air, and Levi gasped, realizing what they intended.
"We can't hold you for long," the leader admitted, "but they'll be able to smell you after this." The hair clippers buzzed like the angriest wasp in Levi's ear, and he felt it growl up his nape before it passed over his gland.
Levi froze, eyes wide. The membrane was ultra sensitive and thin, and a brutish device designed for shredding hair just pressed over it, shredding the membrane apart.
"Mm! Hum!" he mewled against his will, jerking as they shaved an undercut, hitting the edges of his gland again. Then they forcefully turned him over to get the next one.
"You know, it's a shame omega men can't get pregnant like they do in our lore," one of them mused. "It'd be fun to guess whose pups he birthed after we were done with him." "Woah, his eyes are going wild!" someone curtailed. Levi's pupils were fluctuating between black orbs and pinpricks; the only blessing in this situation was that he was trembling so fiercely no one had the time or the hands to undo their pants. Levi could hardly breath for the pain erupting from his glands, spreading down his neck and body like thick, rough molten rock. Somewhere in the pain, he knew he needed to be free, but his limbs were held down, his blade… Levi jerked his arm, not enough to get it free but in such a way that the alpha holding his arm retaliated by gripping his forearm and twisting.
The blade shot free, stabbing the alpha's hand and releasing Levi's arm. He pivoted and thrust his blade into the chest of the man wielding the razor. Then he grabbed that abhorred device and screamed as he plunged it into the alpha's eyes. The shop windows splashed with blood, and by the end of it, the cleanest thing in the place was the sink, still streaming with water.
A choked sob broke from Levi's throat as he tried to rinse his neck but his glands were freely bleeding into his shirt, and he had to get out of here. He briefly considered taking to the rooftops, but whether he ran above the city or below it, he couldn't continue like this.
He found a payphone, and dialed one of the few numbers he had memorized. "Petra?" "LEVI?" Erwin spun around from where he was looking over Pixis' shoulder at all the camera feeds, observing the glimpses of Levi and the trail of bodies he'd left in his wake around the city.

"Is Erwin there?"
He took the phone from Petra. "I'm here." The line was silent for a tense moment before Erwin could make out Levi's shaky breath. "I need help," he said weakly. It sounded like his voice was hoarse.
"I'm coming to get you," Erwin declared, striding out of the Rose with Petra's phone. "Where are you?" Again, that pause. Levi looked around him, the phone booth he was in was smudged with grime and plastered with hooker advertisements. "You'll smell me." "What? LEVI!" Erwin bellowed, but then Levi hung up and left the booth. He couldn't be in a tiny, confined space any longer, and he simply didn't know what answer to give Erwin. His omega sweetness assaulted his senses alongside the metallic sourness of his blood. He found himself embarking down the street that he could always count on to cover his scent, or at least mask it somewhat.
Levi broke into the back of his coffee shop, and prepared to wait. He was too tired, too hungry to fight back anymore. Either Erwin came for him or the other alphas did, so he curled up behind the corner of the counter with one of the sharp knives used for chopping herbs for scones, waiting.

Wash It Away
Chapter Summary Erwin goes after Levi.
Chapter Notes I'm really sorry about the assault of last chapter, everyone, but that is the last of the sexual abuse and I plan to live up to this chapter's name.
See the end of the chapter for more notes Erwin sped into the city with all of the windows down. Mike had insisted on going with him, but Erwin ordered him to remain. He wanted his pack all together in one place, and as he delved deeper into the city, he was glad to have left Mike in charge. Traffic was proving to be one sided with pack members making their way into the city, whereas the streets should have been almost empty this late at night.
The cause reached Erwin's nostrils, and he slammed on his brakes, parking his car halfway on the sidewalk, legality be damned. He could feel his shirt tightening around him as his muscles engorged, his stride became longer as he sprinted through the cloud of alpha curiosity and lust, following the thread of omega that could only be Levi. Non-human pedestrians were sniffing the air with varying amounts of intrigue, which instantaneously melted at the sight or scent of him. Erwin was not a small man, but now he was massive, a lean slab of agility and power that cut through the crowds until the tranquil smell of coffee and cinnamon lingered in the air. Erwin knew where Levi was hiding. On the corner of the block, he recognized the oddly bitter scent of Nicholas's pack that Mike had described. Putrid was a better word for it but Erwin gripped his nape and yanked him out of the alleyway. The man snarled but immediately quivered with terror at Erwin's double canines.
"How many of you are there?" he growled softly.
"T-Too many…" he stammered, but by the way his eyes darted down the street, Erwin knew he was not only lying, but had also revealed where his pack members were waiting to ambush Levi.
Erwin didn't waste time as he twisted the man's head and found the next alpha on the other end of the alleyway. A group of them was trying to figure out how to pick the café's lock while others were demanding on just breaking down the door. Erwin snarled as he killed one of them to alert the others' attention. A third of them took one look and ran; the others bared their teeth defiantly and leaped at Erwin.
It was almost laughable how easily he flipped the first assailants over his shoulders, twisting their wrists so the pain was the only incentive they needed to run like the others. The few who were imbecilic enough to remain had their blood drip into the street's gutter.
Erwin circled around the building just in time to stop a hoard of alphas running at the storefront window. He intercepted most of them but he and a couple others tumbled through the glass, scattering shards across the coffee tables and sidewalk. Erwin threw the men who'd fallen with him back onto the street, roaring his supremacy and warning them to run as far and fast as they could.
Yet for some reason, they still believed their numbers were worth the gamble with Erwin.
Levi listened to the streets on either side of the shop, hearing the tinkering of a lock, the gruff voices of alphas doing battle over him. When the front window shattered, Levi flinched terribly, watching gleaming pieces of glass soar over the counter and bounce off the coffee appliances. The stench of alpha pride and aggression polluted his sanctuary of sugar, nutmeg, and chocolate.
An enraged roar ripped through the air, causing all of his omega instincts to quake on high alert. Frightened tears slipped free of his eyes, mixing with the ones caused by the pain in his neck and body. Levi slumped between the walls of the counter, pressing himself as deeply as he could into the corner until he jerked at the sight of a feral alpha vaulting over the far end of the counter.

"Levi!"
His eyes widened, taking in the blond hair, those neon blue eyes. The alpha stood there as if transfixed, merely staring at Levi until he saw how roughly he trembled.
"Alpha…" he hiccuped. "Alpha please…" Erwin lowered to his knees, approaching Levi on his level. "Shh, Levi, shhh…" He could see a separate knife between Levi's hands, but he made a point of kissing Levi's knee that was showing through his scraped jeans before reaching for it slowly. "You don't need this now. I'm here, Levi." He saw Levi's feral teeth when he grimaced between sobs, but they were visibly shrinking and the silver of his eyes was dimming. Setting the blade on the counter above their heads, Erwin leaned into Levi and noticed that something was different. He saw blood dripping over dried flakes on his neck and shirt, so he delicately grasped Levi's jaw and turned. "Oh…oh, Levi…" he uttered, aghast. The glands were torn open, oozing blood and scent down his bruised neck. Fingerprints bruised his jaw as well, and Levi looked as if he hadn't eaten or slept in the week he'd been missing.
Erwin carefully touched Levi's shoulder and pulled him into the safety of his wide chest. He took some prompting but as soon as Levi's back lifted off the counter, he slumped against Erwin, clutching him as he cried into his bicep. "I'm parked just a block down," he assured, curling his other arm beneath Levi's knees. "I'm taking you home." Erwin held him close as he stepped over the broken window's frame and made his way to his vehicle. He scented alphas still in the area and caught the silhouettes or glimmers of eyes in side streets, but Erwin carried Levi all the way to his car, steered a sharp U-turn in the street, and drove home at nearly breakneck speeds.
Levi was shivering by the time they swung into Erwin's driveway. As he was gathered in Erwin's arms once more, his front door opened to reveal Mike, Isabel, Farlan, Petra, and Hange crowding in the foyer. Mike quickly shoved them aside to make room for Erwin's enlarged feral form to enter, but as soon as he passed into his house, his body began shrinking to his normal size.
Mike had to leave, Levi's scent was too strong, but Hange and Petra clamped hands over their noses. Isabel and Farlan were speechless. They warily approached, looking for a way to comfort him, but Erwin kindly shook his head. "He's in shock," he informed. "I'm taking him for a hot bath and then right to sleep." They nodded their understanding and watching him ascend the stairs. Isabel was in Farlan's arms, but both hers and Petra's cheeks were shiny with tears while Hange comforted her.
Erwin took Levi to his room, where the master bathroom had a jacuzzi-sized tub. He toed his shoes off and sat on the edge of it, keeping Levi on his lap so he could adjust the water to a tolerable heat. When it was warmer than tepid but not quite steaming, he lowered them both into the water, clothes and all.
Levi jerked at the touch of the water, as it likely felt hotter with his chills. Erwin bent his knees and let his back slouch against the wall of the tub, causing Levi's weight to fall against him. For a long while, they simply rested there, Levi growing warmer and Erwin letting the hot water pour to keep the temperature up.
"Erwin…" Levi said quietly. "I'm bleeding on you." "I don't mind," he crooned. Levi began to move as if he wanted to rise off him, but his head fell back on Erwin's shoulder. "In your own time. We'll get you clean and dressed in fresh clothes. There's no rush." The last word came out in a hushed tone as he felt Levi's nose brush the curve of his neck. His eyelids blinked heavily as Levi tickled his neck when he sniffed Erwin's gland. "You don't smell…" Erwin waited but Levi's pause stretched on. "I don't smell like what?" He patiently waited as Levi took tentative sniffs, and then one long draft before he nuzzled against Erwin. He shook his head. "You don't smell like them." Erwin pressed his cheek to the top of his head. "I don't want to hurt you. You belong to yourself, omega or otherwise." He was disappointed when Levi pushed off of him, but he kept it to himself and set Levi on the seat next to him. Levi reached down and removed his shoes and socks to set them on the corner between the wall and the tub. He pulled his shirt off his chest and fidgeted with the hem, but he ultimately rubbed his fingertips against the blood on his neck. "I can't wash this on my own." "I'm here," Erwin assured softly. "We can cut that off." A series of drawers rested off to the side beneath the sink, and out of them he retrieved a pair of scissors. Levi was glad to be rid of the soiled fabric once Erwin cut him out of it without having to pull it over his head. He also grabbed a washcloth which he dunked into the water. Erwin hesitated before reaching for Levi. "This…will not be pleasant," he warned.
Levi grimaced slightly but shook his head. "Get them off me, Erwin." So he set forward with his task, starting at Levi's collarbone. The bleeding had mostly stopped, allowing Erwin to use soft, circular strokes of the cloth, cleaning gradually up the neck and nape. He kept the glands for last.
"If you need to hold something or bite me, that's fine," he offered. "Just do it," Levi ordered, but in a different tone added, "You don't want my mouth on you." The washcloth hovered over Levi's first gland, but Erwin stared at the bruises along his neck, his jaw. "Did they rape you?" he asked softly.
Levi gazed at the water's surface and then gave a curt shake of his head. "No…although I suppose my mouth is easier to clean." The water trilled with Erwin's movement to place his fingertips on Levi's cheek, ushering but not forcing the man to look at him. Haggard, jaded grey eyes looked up into Erwin's honest and earnest blue ones. "You're not dirty to me, Levi. Nothing has changed between us, not for me." Levi removed his cheek from Erwin's fingers as he looked away. "I can barely sit here in my own skin. Why are you…" The muscle in his jaw ticked but Erwin leaned forward to kiss his temple. Levi began to tremble again, so Erwin began a trail of kisses from his cheekbone, up his temple, across his forehead, and to the center of his brows.
"Why are you treating me like your mate?" he sobbed anew.
"Oh Levi…" Erwin mewled, drawing Levi onto his lap once more. "I don't blame you for any of it. I don't see you any differently because of what malevolent or vile people have done. You're not dirty to me. You're an incredible brother to Isabel and Farlan and the friend Hange and Petra look up to most. Levi…" Erwin hesitated before continuing. "On Petra's couch was not the first time Mike interacted with you. When you first came to the community and met me out of courtesy, Mike was late to that meeting, but he was the man you walked past on your way out. His sense of smell is more magnified than anyone else's I have ever met, and you…you still had a little of Nicholas's odor lingering on you." Levi tensed in his arms, his sniffles coming to a halt. Erwin finished, "He left out that you were omega, but he knew that detail was irrelevant to me and to the pack. I might not have known the details, but I've always known what your situation was. That's why I wanted you in my pack, but I tried to convince you in your own time. I've never thought less of you, and goodness knows I wouldn't trade that kiss for the world." Something between a sob and a gasp broke from Levi's throat, and for a split second Erwin feared he would try to get out of his reach. On the contrary, Levi lunged for his chest, and considering he was already on Erwin's lap, the result was having the wind knocked out of him. Levi hugged him under his arms, crying with abandon. Erwin's long arms encompassed him, holding him tight and close.
When Levi recovered, he reared off Erwin somewhat, his eyes puffy and red. "Go on, then," Levi commanded, tilting his head so Erwin could see his gland. "Wash it away." Erwin soaked the cloth in the water, and Levi's eyes closed as his hand lifted toward his scalp. Gathering the fabric in his fist, Erwin pressed it against Levi's skull but not directly on the gland, letting the water fall over the wound.
"Ah!" Levi exclaimed, having expected something excruciating and instead got tingling pinpricks of pain. "Breathe," Erwin urged, squeezing another fist of water over the gland. Levi nodded jerkily and closed his eyes once more, focusing on doing just that. Erwin continued letting water run over his injury, occasionally tilting him so water could drip directly over it or slide from another angle. He was doing everything he could to avoid touching the gland directly, and after a reasonably short time, he announced it clean. Levi turned around for him and bared the next one. Giving this gland just as much delicate attention as the other, Erwin intently worked over him until it too was clean.
"I don't want to bandage these," he informed, setting the cloth aside, "but they will probably bleed during the night. Don't worry about the pillows or sheets; they're disposable. Can I do anything else for you here? Or I'll go make you something to eat." He'd been busy putting away the scissors and throwing the destroyed shirt in a nearby wastebasket, but now he looked to Levi for an answer and found the man gazing at him. "What is it?" he asked, concerned.
Levi seemed to realize he was staring and shook his head. "I don't have clothes." Erwin suspected there had been something else in his thoughts but he let it go. "Your wardrobe has been moved here, and…I hope you don't mind, but I aborted the leases on yours and your siblings' apartments. I don't want anyone worrying about making payments and I'm more confident in your safety if you're living here." Levi's eyes widened at first, but he processed it relatively quickly and nodded. "Fine." "I'll bring you some of your things," he promised, rising from the tub.
Levi gave him pause with, "I don't have any button shirts." Erwin understood his desire to not aggravate his glands further by pulling a shirt over his head. "I'll give you one of mine." He then removed his own shirt, wringing it out over the tub in an attempt to keep the bathroom floor dry. Dumping the garment in the laundry basket between the tub and the shower, Erwin stepped out over a towel carpet and shucked his jeans. It was then he realized that he was wearing white underwear, but now was not the time for promiscuous thoughts. Erwin donned his towel robe and went to find Levi's toothbrush and paste, but as he exited Levi's bathroom, he noticed an almost ludicrously large towel hanging over the rack. Erwin grabbed it and went ahead and set the same pajama shirt and shorts he'd previously loaned him just inside his bathroom door before making his way downstairs. Mike had returned, and everyone was anxiously drinking tea or coffee, waiting for news. "How is he?" Isabel asked eagerly. "He's doing fine," Erwin nodded and then said, "Tomorrow morning, Hange, I want you to look over his scent glands. I've cleaned them but someone ran an electric razor over them, and I want your verdict." A collective hiss sounded as everyone sharply inhaled, but Hange nodded. Mike was shaking his head angrily. "I couldn't smell too much over the rank of alpha on him. What else was done to him?" Erwin sighed as he poured himself a tall glass of tea. "He wasn't raped…but other things were forced upon him. I found him in a feral state." Mike, Hange, and Petra's eyes widened, but Isabel and Farlan seemed puzzled. "What do you mean, feral?" the latter questioned. Petra supplied, "Omegas are usually female and meant for child bearing; for this reason, they're often abused by the pack, passed around for pleasure or for conception. Male omegas are almost unheard of, and either way, an omega hasn't even been seen in our lifetimes. Levi is a rarity. Typically only alphas go feral, in times of extreme anger or distress. Betas have achieved feral status on occasion, but omegas can't…or at least it was believed they couldn't. Even though male omegas can't bear children, their nature still demands that they submit, not fight or go feral. Levi was either that afraid or is capable of more than we thought." Erwin had bacon left over from this morning in the refrigerator, so he scrambled some eggs with the bacon and told the others to get some sleep. When Erwin gently knocked on Levi's door and received no response, he opened it to find the room empty. He quickly crossed back to his own room and found Levi on his bed, bound in the massive towel up by the pillows, sound asleep.
Erwin's eyes softened as he approached the bed and silently placed the food on Levi's side table. Erwin exchanged his wet underwear for his favorite grey, tribal print pajama pants and a navy Vneck before carefully climbing onto the bed. Levi had obviously crawled into the center of the bed and fainted involuntarily, but Erwin didn't mind; he curled around Levi without disturbing him and realized just how tired he was. The stress and constant worry over the past week was alleviated all at once by having Levi back, in his bed after a thorough bath, with hot food nearby, with having Levi home.
Chapter End Notes I've already discussed this in my comments, but in my story, omegas are traditional men, meaning they can't get pregnant and bear children. I'll answer any questions in the comments :)

Chapter Summary
The Smith pack receives a visitor.

Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes "Psst. Boyfriend! Wake up!" Levi's eyelids felt like leaden shields as they opened to find Hange within an inch of his face. They opened wider and his head swiveled to realize he'd passed out in Erwin's room, the man himself slumbering deeply beside him.
At the shift of Levi's weight on the mattress, though, along with his sharp intake of breath, Erwin's eyes opened, and glared at Hange. "I said in the morning." The woman rolled her eyes, still hunched over Levi's side of the bed. "It's two in the afternoon, Erwin. Don't bother getting up, Mike already called you out of work." Levi glanced between them and noticed that he and Erwin had fallen asleep on top of the comforter, and Levi's towel was still bound around his legs. He let it pool around his hips when he noticed the plate of cold breakfast and glass of water on the small bureau of drawers beside him. Draining the glass, Levi dived into the meal. When he stopped for breath halfway through, he ordered, "Tell Petra she needs to make her parmesan zucchini and that mango kale salad later." Hange's brows reached for her hairline. "Well it's nice to hear you're as bossy as ever." Erwin smiled guiltily as he rose to sit back on the pillows. "I'm afraid I haven't been the most diligent with vegetables." Levi startled when Hange's fingers raked through his hair, exposing his gland. The food on his lap would have been strewn across the comforter if he were not so determined to put it in his belly.
"Calm down, I'm paid to do this," she chided, inspecting the injury but not touching it.
"What, make your patients uncomfortable?" he quipped dryly. "That's only a perk," she returned, causing him to grimace as she folded his ear out of the way for a better view. "I hope you killed the bastards who did this." His scowl faded. "Is it that bad?" Hange scoffed, "No, it's not bad, it's just fucking cruel. Who cares if you smell like vanilla cocaine? It's no excuse to abuse a person. Anyway, you'll be fine. This one's stopped bleeding, and the only annoying thing about the healing process will be the scab. You'll feel like you're suffocating half the time, but leave it alone and it will be gone in no time. Show me the other one." Levi rotated so he faced the headboard while Hange examine his other side. She audibly grimaced.
"Eeugh…I can't tell if this one's worse, but it's not bleeding, either. Don't you dare pick at the scabs or you'll make it worse and I'll skin you alive." "Try not to sound so enthusiastic," Levi scolded mildly.
Hange raised a dramatic brow but her expression quickly melted as she brushed her hand through his hair again. Then she did something that was out of character for her: she leaned in and kissed his forehead.
Levi's heart felt like it was bruised but he japed, "You've lived with Petra for too long." The spell broke and Hange mussed his hair. "Shut up, boyfriend, and listen to your doctor. I want you eating all the food groups for the next forty-eight hours, and…" she flipped his wrists over, inspecting the turquoise and violet veins underneath the pale skin, "…drinking at least two liters of water a day. Got that?" "Aye, captain," he returned haughtily. When she shoved his head playfully, he jabbed, "I'm injured here!" "Yeah, you're so vulnerable, dingus," she waved a hand theatrically. "Not like you've been the captain of this ship since you breezed into this neighborhood." That gave Levi pause and he glanced at Erwin for input, but the alpha merely laid there with an arm curled under his head, gazing back at him tranquilly. Levi peered back at Hange strolling toward the door. "What do you mean by that?" "I mean you think too much," she responded, opening the door. She turned and flashed him a grin. "It makes for good music, though. Clean those glands twice a day, and don't be afraid to blow off some steam," she winked and was out the door.
Against her judgment, Levi's mind was trying to process her cryptic meaning until Erwin cut through his trains of thought. "I do have some green things in the fridge. Do you want a vegetable omelet? Or at least something hot?" Levi stared at him dumbly before he realized just how bad cold eggs felt in his mouth. He nodded and Erwin took the plate from him. "Let's clean you first." Levi gulped and followed Erwin to the bathroom, glancing over his shoulder at the smears of browning blood on the pillows. He must have made a sound of displeasure, because Erwin turned and followed his line of sight. He smiled kindly, "I told you, don't worry about it. They're replaceable. You're not. Come here." Levi felt himself tugged forward by a towel draped around his neck. Erwin already had the sink on and a clean washcloth at the ready. "Would you mind if I used soap this time?" He shook his head, but readied himself for the sting of it. Erwin lathered a bar of soap in the puddle made in the sink, and filled the cloth with the soapy water. He squeezed most of it out, but let the rest fall over Levi's gland, soaking into the towel on his shoulder. Levi winced as needles tickled into his skull, but as Erwin used a different cloth to rinse fresh, cool water over it, the pain dulled considerably.
Erwin gently tilted Levi's head for the other gland and repeated the process. By the time he'd finished, Erwin was holding Levi close as he carefully dried the area around his glands. Levi's mind had drifted into a haze until he felt Erwin smelling his hair. "You smell really nice, you know that?" Levi rolled his eyes and leaned away. "It's been my problem my entire life." To his surprise, Erwin smiled. "I don't mean the vanilla cocaine. I mean you. With the scabs over your glands, the omega is less potent, but you still smell quite nice without it." Levi wasn't sure how to take that, and Erwin seemed to notice because he pecked Levi's lips and said, "It's a compliment, I promise." The kiss was so sudden and brief that Levi did not even realize he'd kissed back until they were on their way to the stairs. He touched his lips with the pads of his fingers, but he merely felt his own hands, not the ghost of Erwin's lips, the kiss had been so light. Levi was glad he was behind Erwin as his face heated and he felt the suffocation Hange had mentioned in his neck. He wanted to remember Erwin's lips, and his body was annoyingly requesting likewise.
The arousal quickly faded when Levi saw that Erwin's kitchen was full. He vaguely remembered seeing everyone in the foyer last night, but clearly instead of leaving, they had set up camp where the food was. Levi felt the air rush out of his lungs as Isabel collided with him, hugging him fiercely and leaning her head away from his neck; and then Farlan crashed into the other side, equally considerate of his injured gland. Levi felt tears threatening to bud in his eyes, but the lack of air kept them at bay. "I can't breathe, you idiots." "Let us love you," Farlan whined, eliciting a groan from Levi.
Isabel giggled and she gave Levi one more squeeze before breaking the group hug. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.
He nodded wearily, wanting to reassure her but also just wanting to eat something and go back to bed. Erwin was in the process of piling everything green he had on the counter, which consisted of artichoke hearts, romaine lettuce, and broccoli. He frowned at the options and then reached back in the refrigerator for what appeared to be homemade Italian dressing. He set a grill pan on the stove alongside a pot of water to boil pasta and began chopping the vegetables for grilling for a pasta salad.
Erwin paused when Levi reached for the bowl of produce and selected a red onion and bell pepper, taking the initiative of cutting them himself. A small smile graced Erwin's lips, but he said nothing as they cooked together.
His head perked up at the quiet chime of his mobile charging by the toaster. He read the name on the screen and knew it was the gatekeeper. He hit the speaker setting and greeted, "Good afternoon, Eld, what is it?" "There's an Alpha Lobov here to see you, Alpha." Both Levi's and Erwin's hands stilled on the wooden counter. Erwin looked at Mike, who nodded, and came around the island to turn off the stove while Erwin went to get dressed. "I'll be there momentarily, Eld. Don't let him past the gate." "Understood, Alpha." Erwin dressed in casual jeans but a crisp button-up shirt of cool grey material. When he came down the stairs he found Mike, Hange, and Petra waiting…along with a fully dressed Levi.
"You don't need to do this," Erwin declared.
Levi lifted a skeptical brow. "He's here because of me." His eyes fell on Isabel and Farlan. "Stay inside." Farlan scowled. "Why can't we see the jackass causing all this trouble?" Levi stepped right into Farlan's space, growling, "Because if that jackass sees you, you'll be the next target just to spite me. Stay in the fucking house. Is that clear?" Levi's eyes flashed silver, and Farlan gulped. He nodded. "Fine…fine, we'll stay in the house." Farlan gripped Isabel's arm just in case she was about to broach an argument, but then Levi commanded, "Petra, stay here with them." She nodded briskly and went to stand beside his siblings. When Farlan and Isabel peered at her, as if to gauge how capable she was of keeping them in the house, she smiled sweetly, eyes flashing gold.
Erwin was still not totally convinced it was the best course to bring Levi along, but it was his choice, so they set off through the neighborhood with Mike and Hange trailing behind. They seemed to stride faster the closer they came to the gate, and then they turned the curve in the road, and there stood a reasonably tall man leaning back on his black car. He had a full head of hair that was brushed down to his collarbone and was silver at the temples. He had a light scruff of hair as if he'd neglected his morning shave.
The man smiled, eyes on Levi, but he replied, "Alpha Smith, it is a pleasure. We should have met sooner, considering your friendship with my brother in law and history with my sister. Hello, omega." Levi remained silent as he stood beside Erwin. Nicholas didn't seem to mind. "I apologize for my pack interrupting your inspiring performance. If I'd known you had such a voice, I would have let you sing for me." "Enough," Erwin declared softly, keeping his anger in check. "What is it you want, Lobov?" The man lifted his brows and scratched at his jaw as if contemplating that. "As of late, I want two things: my sister's killer and that little omega right there. He used to be with my pack, but he then one day he vanished. Crafty, he is." "With the way you and your alphas treated him, I'm glad for it," Erwin announced openly.
Nicholas unnerved them by chuckling. "Good god, man, do you think I chained him to a post and let my entire pack fuck him? No one ever touched him. I wouldn't soil such a unique creature." "No, you only put me in a cage," Levi growled softly.
Behind him, he heard Hange whisper to Mike, "Does this mean Levi's a virgin?" He shot her a glare under an arched brow. She responded with a pouted lip and a flip of her hand as if to say What? It's a legitimate question.
Thankfully, Nicholas had not heard. "It was for your own good. An omega surrounded by alphas…" he shuddered theatrically. "I couldn't bare anyone touching you." "You were fine with throwing me in a room to test new recruits," Levi scoffed.
The alpha only shrugged. "If they don't show a semblance of control, how can I be alpha to them? You took care of the unworthy ones well enough. With all the body bags gathering on my doorstep, I know your killing skills have not atrophied one bit." Erwin scoffed, "That doesn't make you alpha at all. It makes you a coward. How would you fare if a real alpha challenged you?" Nicholas's expression became steely. "Be careful what you say, Smith. In our age, your methods are…old fashioned." "Compared to your barbaric ones, I'm not concerned," Erwin stated. "I cannot help you with either of your desires. I advise that you return to your pack." The faux joviality returned to Nicholas's visage. "Can't say I have much of a pack to return to. My little omega eliminated a fourth of them before you finished off another quarter." Erwin stepped in front of Levi, his gaze becoming blue fire. "His name is Levi, and he was never yours. You should have dropped to your knees for him, not shoved him beneath your boot. Get off of my property, Lobov. If you or any of your pack make advances against mine own, my pack has total consent to defend themselves." Nicholas stared back coolly, his mind tumbling Erwin's threats in his mind. He murmured an acknowledgement and said, "All right, Smith, but take my council to heart: you might accuse me of being barbaric, but you have a feral monster standing behind you. I had to bury one of my comrades in two boxes. One for his body, and one significantly smaller." Levi scoffed in a way that resembled pride. "He shouldn't have shoved it down my throat." A high pitched yip sliced through the air and all eyes turned to Hange, who was desperately clamping a hand over her mouth, failing to conceal her maniacal laughter. Nicholas's façade faded to reveal boiling anger and his eyes shined a murky gold color as he folded back into his car and drove off.
Hange unleashed her laughter while Erwin confronted Mike. "I didn't smell anyone else in the area," his second informed without prompting.
"Call Pixis and Dok. Lobov will make a move and they should be warned." Mike nodded and had his cell phone ready. Erwin waved at Eld in the gatekeeper's cubicle and rotated to head back to the house to finish cooking, but Hange dragged Levi into a painful hug, still laughing.
"You sick bastard, I think I might love you! You're as good as in our pack, now!" she practically sang to the sky.
"Hange, if that's what you consider a good prerequisite, then I'll start wearing a cup around you," Mike jibed as he waited between dial tones. Hange released Levi to lift her glasses and wipe tears from her eyes, and Mike poked him in the back to get his attention. "But seriously, I respect anyone who doesn't take that shit. Welcome to the pack." Again, Levi was not sure if he was being commended or discretely shoved under a hot spot light, but Erwin took his hand and drew him back toward the house. Levi glanced up at him and could have sworn there was a curve to his lips.
When they entered the house, Petra, Isabel, and Farlan hopped off the couch and Hange filled them in. Levi was in the kitchen when he heard Isabel shriek with laughter. He ceased chopping and scrubbed a hand over his eyes, only peeking through his fingers when Farlan came in with a grim expression pointed at Levi. "I can't tell if you're setting a bad example or if Isabel was always this twisted." Erwin whirled around, thinking Levi was injured, but after a tense moment, he realized Levi was laughing. A goofy smile broke out across his face at the sound and the sight of Levi's cheeks turning rosy from guffawing. Erwin looked at Farlan to find soft eyes and a relieved smile; Erwin had never heard Levi laugh, but apparently it had been a long time for Farlan as well. The brother shook his head with fake disappointment and turned his eyes on Erwin.
"Welcome to the family. We're all a little unhinged, but enjoy your stay," he said and Erwin could only grin like a fool.
They filled up on pasta salad and Erwin worked with Hange, Petra, and Mike to set up precautionary procedures for any sort of attack, whether it was physical or monetary. Pixis and Nile were informed and made their own preparations that coincided with Erwin's network; the latter of which had to swear to secrecy regarding his brother in law before Erwin guaranteed extensions of safety for Nile's pack should an attack occur en mass.
Erwin quickly made some calls regarding his day job before coming upstairs to find his bed made up with fresh bedclothes. Levi had found his navy blue pillowcases and was currently stuffing his down cushions into them.
"Who dresses their bed entirely in white?" he growled into his work. Erwin knew Levi was not actually angry with his choice of bedding because he peeked under the plush white comforter to see that Levi had washed but not switched out the white sheets.
"They're my softest sheets," Erwin commented with a sideways glance before going to the bathroom to brush his teeth. "Come here, I'll wash you." "You don't have to do it every time," Levi scolded, but nonetheless entered the bathroom. He brushed his teeth in the other sink and draped a towel around his neck for Erwin to clean his glands as Hange prescribed.
He peeked at the towel hanging over one of the French doors. "Why did you choose such a large towel?" Levi winced slightly at the tingle of soap, but it already hurt less than this morning. He inhaled deeply and replied, "My hand brushed it in the store. I just…wanted it." "Hmm, I know the feeling," Erwin hummed, washing clean water over the gland and switching sides. One of his hands was on Levi's nape, the other squeezing water behind his ear. He switched to the clean cloth and rinsed the soap from Levi's neck before setting them aside for the morning. Erwin noticed Levi had retrieved his pajamas and left them folded on the counter. He reached for them, handing the raiment to Levi before letting him have the bathroom to change.
Erwin found his own sleepwear right as Levi was exiting the bathroom. He paused with his hand on the door when Erwin leaned down to kiss his cheek. Levi felt the lips touch and then pull away, but he turned his head, and captured Erwin's lips with his own.
The kiss was short and clumsy due to Levi's abrupt decision and Erwin's surprise, but as soon as it broke, Erwin tilted his head to the other side and curled his arm around Levi's waist, pulling him flush against him. Levi hummed at the yank on his body but eagerly reached for Erwin's face. The pajamas dropped to the floor as Erwin encompassed Levi in his arms, loving the feeling of Levi's fingers reaching for his hair, tangling there and tugging slightly. He gasped for air but kissed Levi again like he was the source. Levi swayed onto his toes, the better to reach him, and exclaimed when Erwin's hands landed heavily on his ass, kneading and rocking him up higher.
The next moment, Levi's back hit the bed, his head falling back on the comforter as Erwin growled deep in his chest, kissing and licking Levi's jaw, his neck. Erwin was deftly undoing his buttons and leaving a trail along his collarbone, down his sternum, and then he nipped at Levi's nipple.
"Ah! Hahh…" he squirmed. His knees were bent over the edge of the bed and he wasn't sure what to do with his legs, so he was rubbing his calves along Erwin's hips. He was breathing heavily, both from what Erwin was doing to him and from the stifling pressure in his glands. His body wanted to release his scent, to tell Erwin just how much he was affecting him.
Levi's eyes lolled in their sockets when he felt large hands on his hips, fingers curling into the meat of his buttocks while Erwin's thumbs pressed into the cradle of his hip bones, making him squirm anew. He realized Erwin's mouth had drifted down his stomach and was now licking and nipping along the hem of his shorts.
"Levi…may I?" His gaze jerked down at his blatant erection underneath the fabric and Erwin's waiting gaze. "Y-You want…?" he inquired with disbelief.
"Yes," Erwin breathed, and then shocked Levi by nuzzling his groin through the soft fabric. Hot, electric energy thrummed up his body, and then he couldn't stop the weak cries from escaping his lips as Erwin nipped from the base of his shaft to the tip with firm lips, occasionally letting his teeth graze through the cotton. "I want." His fingertips were already curling inside the waistband. He asked again, "May I?" Levi's exhale came out in a rush as he nodded frantically. He knew the drawstring was pulled when he felt the shorts instantly loosen and then they were tugged down to slide past his toes. His head perked up to see Erwin's hungry, husky gaze on him, his lips parted expectantly.
Suddenly, those blue eyes lifted to lock with Levi's as Erwin's tongue licked from his base to the tip of his head. Levi had to break contact, his head falling back as he gasped for air against the blissful abuse to his urethra and bud of nerves under the head.
And then his whole body rippled upward at the feeling of Erwin's mouth around him. His knees hovered uselessly in the air, but Erwin gripped Levi's waist and moved him further up on the bed, eliciting a thrilled whimper from him. He then hooked his hands beneath Levi's knees, directing the calves to hang over his shoulders while he lay on his stomach and returned his mouth to Levi's cock.
Levi's hands flew to Erwin's hair, wanting to grip something, to hold him, but his touch was light for fear of hurting him by pulling his hair out. Levi's hips were beginning to buck against Erwin's ministrations, urging and begging for more. He felt his pelvis lift off the bed when Erwin rose with Levi's legs on his shoulders. Levi opened his eyes to see the alpha gazing down at him, a hand caressing his hairline by his temple. "It's okay," he hushed, turning his head to kiss Levi's thigh. "I've got you." "Erwin," he reached for him, and felt his legs drop so Erwin could lunge down for his kiss. Levi's arms wrapped around his neck, his hands making a thorough mess of Erwin's hair. His legs enveloped Erwin's hips, pulling him closer so their groins rubbed together. They both hissed at the coarse feeling of denim separating them. "Off," Levi huffed. "Take them off." Erwin grinned guiltily. "I'm afraid if I do there will be nothing stopping me from entering you." Levi groaned wantonly. "You're the only alpha who's ever asked to wait." Erwin growled against his throat, and Levi felt it from their chests pressed together as well as from Erwin's lips kissing the column of his neck. "I want to be able to throw you around this bed without fear of hurting you," he cooed into Levi's ear, making his eyes roll again from grazing his teeth around the pinna. "Let me take you in my mouth tonight." He began to lower back down Levi's body, but he countered, "What about you?" Erwin's next grin was almost devilish. "I'll get my dues, don't worry." His saliva on Levi's shaft had cooled, but with the return of Erwin's hot mouth, all of the blood rushed from Levi's cranium, and he was lost in Erwin's mouth, his hands, his warm scent threaded with sultry alpine freshness. Levi began squirming limply as Erwin paused to take his testicles in his mouth, massaging them with his lips, stroking the flesh underneath with pressing licks.
Levi felt his body tensing, his limbs becoming uselessly numb, like all of his nerves had gathered in his pelvis. He felt like something was going to snap or shatter, and then it was like his nerves forgot how to work for a split second before sizzling water engulfed him, racing through his veins to the rest of his body.
He slowly came down from his high as Erwin retraced his path of kisses back up his abdomen, planting soft kisses along his sensitive neck and adams apple. He propped himself on his elbows and gazed down at him, carding the black tresses away from his face. Those blue eyes glimmered serenely as a soft grin curved his lips. He hardly seemed out of breath yet he'd done all of the work, whereas Levi's chest still heaved with his slow, even breaths. The sight of Levi's hooded eyes and reddened, swollen lips parted from his orgasm was everything Erwin wanted.
"Beautiful," he whispered to himself, lowering to kiss Levi lightly, but thoroughly. His tongue licked against Levi's before he rose off the bed and placed the shorts on the bed for him. "Get comfortable under the covers," he ushered. "I plan to hold you as I fall asleep this time." He changed in the bathroom and once again found Levi nestled in the center of the bed. Erwin opened the covers and climbed in, sliding a strong arm around Levi's waist and nuzzling his shoulder and neck, breathing him in so the soft, clean, and slightly sweet scent of Levi drifted in his dreams.
Chapter End Notes I made Nicholas Lobov younger than he appears in the anime to avoid pedophiliac undertones in regards to his interaction with Levi. He's just a possessive douche, plain and simple.

Challenge Accepted
Chapter Summary A breakfast date goes awry.
Levi was conscious enough to feel that it was just after dawn. The room was still dark but the time of day wasn't his problem. He whipped the covers off in a huff and rolled onto his stomach, half hanging off the bed since everywhere on the damn thing was covered by a human furnace. It was a large mattress, capable of holding two Erwins, but somehow the alpha had managed to stretch across all of it.
One of those heavy arms unconsciously reached for Levi, but he moaned and swatted it away. "No! I want to sleep with a man, not a fire demon." Erwin mumbled something that might have been his name as he rolled across the mattress, still seeking Levi. Erwin's skin was warm to the touch, and Levi's shirt had already ridden up to his nipples as he felt the man's chest press to his back.
Levi sat up with another harsh exhalation, and shoved Erwin off him by his round shoulders. "It's too fucking hot! What the hell happened to your air conditioner? It's usually Icelandic in here!" "Sorry," he grinned sleepily, like he wasn't sorry at all. "The moon's waxing." Levi didn't even care what that implied, he was so heated. He felt like Erwin was climbing toward a thousand degrees, causing Levi's pajamas to cling to his skin, whereas the ridiculous blonde looked as cool as an ocean breeze.
He smelled like one too.
"I need to get out of this bed," Levi declared, swinging his legs over the side. He marched his way to the bathroom and cranked the shower on while shedding his sticky garments. He jumped slightly at the rush of cold water on his flesh, but he adjusted it and just leaned against the wall, relishing the heat oozing out of him. He was finally feeling relief when the shower door spontaneously opened, and Erwin stepped inside the octagonal cubicle.
As if Levi wasn't even there, he ducked his head under the water pouring from the showerhead in the ceiling like rain, raking his hands through the gold tresses. "What are you doing?" he exclaimed.
Erwin gazed at him vacantly. "Bathing." "I want a shower, not a steam room!" he shot back, throwing the door open. "Get out!" "You know, I'm beginning to think you're not a morning person." He shut the door again and reached for his spongy loofah. Drizzling some form of soap on it, he began lathering his neck, shoulders, and torso. Levi felt his back against the wall as his senses were bombarded with the salty freshness of the sea and alpine spice that so inhabited Erwin's natural scent. Levi felt like chucking the bottle out of the shower in the attempt that Erwin would go fetch it and leave him be.
Levi realized that Erwin's eyes were on him. "Turn. I'll wash you." Before he could respond, Levi felt his shoulders pivoted and he was staring at the wall as Erwin rubbed sudsy circles across his shoulders and down his back. As he went, Erwin massaged the soap and fragrance into Levi's skin, working away the years of tension in the cords of his neck and back so Levi had to grip the wall as he felt himself swaying.
"You…your stupid scent…and those stupidly big hands of yours." Erwin chuckled close to him and planted a wet kiss on his neck. "Is it so wrong that I want to take care of you?" Levi's forehead touched the misty tiles of the wall and he admitted quietly, "It's not what I'm used to." "I know," Erwin murmured deeply, resting his chin on Levi's shoulder, "but get used to it. The full moon's coming, and I won't be able to keep my stupidly big hands off of you." Part of Levi's body melted while others tensed, causing him to be a rigid mess when Erwin pulled him back against his body. "Levi, what's wrong?" Levi couldn't help notice that he made a point to bring Levi's ass against his hip instead of directly against his groin. Erwin was so considerate of Levi's anxieties that he could barely stand it. "The full moon…isn't a good time for me." "It will be this time," he assured quietly, leaning over Levi's shoulder to touch his cheek with his own. "You know, my grandmother was omega." Levi turned his head to peer at him. "No I didn't." Erwin nodded. "She was a gentle woman, but she had fire in her soul, like you. She came from a time and place where omegas and alphas worked together to manage the pack. My grandfather worshiped her like a queen. Even in their medieval age, they could rattle the rooftops with their arguments, but they taught me what it means to have someone so precious. They were each other's alpha and omega, the beginning and end to one another. Nicholas knew the potential you had to control alphas, but he implemented it all wrong." Erwin had recommenced washing Levi's chest and arms, taking the opportunity to lace their fingers together. Levi realized Erwin was blushing as he finished, "What I'm saying is, you might complain about my hands, but I'm wrapped around your fingers." Levi swallowed as he processed that. In the end he could only say, "I don't know why you're associating me with fire. I could cook eggs on you." Erwin gave him a blank look and then guffawed. Levi relinquished a smile, observing how water droplets bounced off the man's wide frame and toned muscles. "And you keep surprising me, which I like." "Well I would say you're damn easy to please," Levi teased, "but then you go full alpha on me and drag me to breakfast dates." Suddenly, a mischievous glimmer bloomed in Erwin's eyes. "Mmm…that doesn't sound too bad, actually. I'm due for another mimosa anyway." Levi rolled his eyes and bared his neck. "Clean my glands first, alpha, since you're so insistent on treating me." Erwin smiled, "Certainly," and grabbed a bar of soap that would be gentler than the scented body wash. As he cleaned, he noted, "You're healing quickly. The moon's likely the reason. How do you feel?" "It doesn't hurt as much anymore," Levi agreed, "but Hange was right about feeling like I'm suffocating. My glands need air. The scabs are like deadweights on them." "They're beginning to flake off," Erwin assured. "Just a few more days, probably-no, I'll do that." Levi sighed, handing over the shampoo. "You have a servant complex or something." "I don't want the chemicals to burn in your glands," he defended, "and it is better to use the same soap so close to the glands anyways." Levi crossed his arms, letting Erwin lather his hands with the bar of soap before massaging his scalp. Levi would have been annoyed longer if Erwin's fingers didn't make his head fall back on the alpha's shoulder. He felt a soft kiss on his temple as the soap was combed from his hair, and then fingertips tilted his chin, and Levi felt those lips on his own. As much as Levi's independence winced, his eyes were closed, relishing the feeling of his alpha nurturing him, pampering him- His eyes flew open and Erwin broke the kiss, sensing Levi's change in mood. My alpha…his mind rasped. The sentiment was so foreign that Levi felt an odd pit in his stomach which could only be happiness, but as he tumbled the notion over and over in his head, that pit jarringly sprouted and bloomed into something all consuming.
"Put those hands on me," he breathed, suddenly feeling his own temperature skyrocket. Technically, Erwin was already holding him, but one hand lifted to hold his nape with the other palmed his ass. His mouth hovered over Levi's, ready to claim and explore, but then the hand on his nape curled around so his fingertips were on Levi's collarbone, guiding them to the shower floor.
Erwin had been half-hard during the entire shower, but when he pulled Levi down to straddle his lap, their genitals pressed together, causing them both to gasp as their erections stood tall. Levi moaned and weakly rutted against him before he intently latched his mouth onto Erwin's gland. His blue eyes shot wide before drooping huskily, holding onto Levi for support as his tongue tickled and pressed hard into the delicate membrane. It swirled over the gland, creating a spiral of pressure that deepened the tighter the circle became before lightening as the circle widened again. The constant torment was bliss and agony for Erwin, causing him to want more while also wishing to just sit here and enjoy it.
When Levi's teeth grazed the flesh, though, and a hot breath rushed over the hypersensitive area, Erwin's hips jerked upward. Levi exclaimed, breaking contact with his neck so his forehead fell onto Erwin's shoulder. "Do that again…" he ushered breathlessly.
Erwin closed a hand around their cocks and held Levi's ass with the other, slipping a finger into his crevasse to massage his entrance. "Oh!" he murmured at the contact, and then exhaled, "Oh-hhhoh…" as Erwin thrust upward again.
"Move with me," he prompted, and that was all Levi needed. He snapped his hips forward, eliciting a throaty cry from Erwin, who kept a firm hold on their cocks while Levi moved his hips again. Erwin felt his fingers gripping his shoulders until Levi threw his arms around his neck, pumping his hips against Erwin with abandon. His lips crashed against Levi's, needing to taste him and demanding the contact of his tongue. Levi moaned and responded in kind, pinning Erwin against the wall as he tugged on his bottom lip with his teeth.
"Ah, fuck! Levi…" Erwin gasped. He was right on the edge, just a little further….
Levi released a weak cry, shuddering and hugging him close as he haphazardly tried to keep going even while his orgasm wrecked through his body. Erwin snapped his hips once more, and enclosed Levi with a tight arm, holding him still as they both rode the titanic wave of pleasure to its shores.
Even though Erwin was still somewhere in the haze of his orgasm, he began kissing Levi's neck, barely pressing around the scab of his gland. He knew it was a moot action until the membrane was healed, but Erwin wanted to be close to him and that special, vulnerable part of him.
Levi lifted his head from Erwin's shoulder and gazed at him with heavy lidded eyes. "It's still hot." Erwin smiled and pulled his nape for a long, soft kiss. "Let's go get breakfast." Once they dried off, Erwin revealed that he'd moved Levi's raiment to an entire rack and pillar of shelves in the walk-in closet. Levi wasn't sure which gave him pause: for a wealthy man, Erwin had a such small number of clothes that he was able to move them to one side of the closet, but Levi had obviously so few garments that even the space he was given was not entirely filled.
Erwin snuck a kiss on his neck, breaking through Levi's reverie so he could carefully pull a shirt over his head and jump into a clean pair of jeans. It was only as they left the closet that Levi realized this meant he was not only staying in Erwin's house, but he was living with Erwin.
"Whatever you're thinking, stop thinking it," the alpha chided, holding his bedroom door open for him and examining his features keenly.
Levi opened his mouth to make some retort, but Isabel popped into view and warned, "You have to be careful about his face. It sticks sometimes, and always in the worst expressions." His mouth twisted in a scowl and she frowned at him. "Like that." "I have a right to my own mind and facial contortions," he snapped. Erwin placed a gently hand on his back to usher him out of the room, and just that touch cooled his boil down to a simmer.
"Of course you do," Isabel agreed. "And as your sister, I retain the right to call you out on it. What's the breakfast plan, Erwin?" The alpha grinned. "We're going out. Tell Farlan to be ready in five minutes." "Let me find my pants!" the brother in question shouted from the other end of the hall.
While they waited downstairs, Erwin murmured, "What were you thinking about?" Levi's arms were crossed as he revealed, "That I'm…we…that we're really living together." He peeked up to gauge Erwin's expression and received a puzzled look before it dawned on him. "Oh! Ah…I should have asked before I moved your things. Does it bother you?" Levi pondered that for a long minute before saying, "No…it doesn't…but that's what bothers me." Erwin chuckled with a shake of his head. "If it's not broken, don't fix it, and if it's fixed, don't break it. It sounds like you're going out of your way to find something wrong." Levi's brow furrowed. Maybe he was right…he simply wasn't used to everything aligning so well in his life. Perhaps he just needed to lie back and smell the figurative roses…or Erwin. Erwin would do.
They made it to the familiar restaurant, and it was early enough so they did not require a reservation. Levi and Erwin sat on one end of the booth, while Isabel and Farlan claimed the other. Erwin went ahead and ordered two mimosas for him and Levi, while Farlan requested an iced coffee and Isabel had a vanilla cappuccino.
In the meantime, Farlan inquired, "Levi, what are you going to do about work? I mean, the café's closed for reconstruction, but are you going back to the library?" In truth, Levi hadn't thought about returning to work, and he said as much. "Over a week without a word, I figured I was fired." "Pixis owns the library," Erwin provided. "You won't have any trouble there." "Of course he does," Levi scoffed. Isabel then announced that she had to use the bathroom, and hopped out of the booth. Levi's gaze darted downward, where Erwin's hand was sliding over his leg so his fingers rested along his inner thigh. The man himself was gazing around the restaurant, though, patiently awaiting his food. Levi reckoned the man had an innate need to touch people, especially Levi, since he was subconsciously reaching for him all the time. Levi was rather charmed by that, as if he hadn't realized how much he wanted Erwin to touch him all these years.
He involuntarily hummed deep in his chest, causing Erwin's head to swivel around towards him. Those blue eyes lit up with understanding and a goofy smile curved his lips, making Levi look away in the direction of a massive, yet functional, decorative clock on the wall.
He frowned. Isabel should have been back three minutes ago. Call it a strange talent, but she was simply the fastest pisser alive; Farlan had timed her once, and she'd managed to empty an entire bladder of mai tais within thirty-eight seconds.
Dislodging Erwin's hand, Levi slid from the booth, striding to where the bathrooms were. He knocked on the women's door, and opened it a crack. "Isabel?" No response. Levi walked right in and found every stall empty. He checked the men's room even though it was unlikely there had been a line three minutes ago that would have compelled her to use the men's bathroom. Nothing.
Returning to the female's bathroom, he threw the bowl of potpourri into the garbage and inhaled deeply. He vaguely scented Isabel's light, familiar warmth, like summer peaches, and lemons. But something tickled his nostrils, something bitterly tangy, foreign…yet familiar.
For a split second, he stared at his silver eyes in the mirror before bursting out of the bathroom and colliding with Erwin's chest.
"Oof! L-Levi?" he stammered. Levi was already dashing around him, but Erwin saw he was nearly feral and caught his elbow in an iron grip.
"Call Mike!" he snarled. "They have Isabel!" Erwin meant to yank Levi back, but a jab to the hillock of muscle in his forearm as well as a pinch to the pressure point in his elbow caused him to let go. Levi was out of the restaurant by the time he caught up and all but tackled him to the pavement.
"Levi! Calm down!" "Don't tell me to calm DOWN!" he snarled. "THEY HAVE MY SISTER!" "What the fuck's happening?" Farlan exclaimed, emerging from the restaurant.
Despite Levi's fierce struggles, Erwin's arms did not relent. His tone was contrarily calm as he informed, "Isabel's been kidnapped." The blood visibly drained from Farlan's face, and within seconds he looked ready to topple over. Meanwhile, Levi was still thrashing. "I'LL KILL THE-ehh!" His words strangled in his throat when Erwin's arms tightened, restricting his air and threatening to break his ribs. "Levi," he growled over his ear. "What do you plan to do? Walk in and hope Nicholas will trade? Kill them all? Nicholas would only keep both of you and there are too many of them to take down by yourself. Be smart, Levi. You're not saving anyone by just running after her." He could feel Levi weakening even though his body still felt tense, ready to flee. "Erwin…the moon…" he warned, and then it came out in a panicked gasp, "The full moon! They'll…it doesn't matter if she's human. They'll…" He finally slumped against Erwin, who loosened his hold to allow Levi's lungs to expand rapidly, gulping down air. Erwin half-dragged, half-walked Levi over to where Farlan stood, just as shocked as Levi was panicked and angry. Curling his other arm around Farlan, he hushed, "Sshhh, I know, Levi. But that won't happen. We will get her back before the peak of the moon's cycle, and if they've so much as placed an untoward finger on her, we will destroy the whole fucking pack." Levi's gaze jerked up, his body eerily tranquil all of a sudden. But his eyes were deep, multifaceted silver.

Chapter Summary
With the lunar cycle reaching its peak, the Smith pack makes a move.

Chapter Notes
Oh my glob, I'm so sorry for the wait! My room's been upside-down the last couple of days because I got a new bed and it was just a hot wreck. Happy reading! See the end of the chapter for more notes Levi's knees bounced impatiently on the carpet, waiting for Erwin to emerge from Nile's stupidly large house. Hange had told him more than once that he was shaking the whole car, and he'd promptly told her to fuck off.
Finally, Mike emerged out of the front door, followed by Erwin, and the pair strode across the front lawn to resume their places in the front seats. Erwin informed, "Nile says that Nicholas's pack has gone quiet, which only means that they are being held tight in their section of town. They're being discrete with keeping Isabel prisoner, but they're waiting for us to make a move." "Nile's clean," Mike proffered. "He hasn't visited the Lobov pack in a long time, and the man reeks when he lies. I didn't smell anything on him." "So what, we have to draw them out?" Levi responded haughtily. If he had it his way, he'd run into the Lobov pack and take down every alpha he met until he found Isabel, and Erwin knew it. Those blue eyes met his in the rearview mirror.
"No, they will be expecting something from us. We have to catch them unaware, and obliterate them when we do." Levi liked the sound of that, and apparently Hange did too. She giggled menacingly, "Excellent. Some members of the pack have been itching for a fight." "This needs to be discrete," Erwin quickly curtailed. "I don't want word of this spreading throughout the pack just yet, is that understood?" "Yes, Alpha," she nodded obediently. "But don't put me in charge of looking after Farlan or this git." She jabbed a thumb in Levi's direction. He growled deep in his chest but Erwin replied calmly as he navigated through the city.
"Of course not. You will assist me in planning a break in; I need both you and Petra when we take down this pack. Eld and Gunther will be charged with Farlan's care." Mike's attention was piqued. "Obliterate? You plan to exterminate every alpha? Other packs will react to this and it may cause you to be an enemy throughout the city." "There will be a contingent plan," Erwin assured. "I am aware that several alphas were either forced to join Lobov or will take very little convincing to leave. If anyone surrenders, they will go free. All who fight back, however, will die." "How can you know those who surrender will not regroup later on or feed slander to other packs?" Mike challenged, not threateningly, but it was a justified concern.
"You're overestimating them, Erwin," Levi agreed. "It takes a certain type of person to join Nicholas's community. I should know…I let them in." "Nonetheless," Erwin said with finality, "We're already erasing a pack off the map, and Pixis and I are ready to reclaim the real estate once they are gone; as many casualties as there will be, there will also be survivors, and the first order of business will be to give them back their homes, to establish peace as quickly as possible but still keep them under our order. I can't plan for a short term battle without considering the long after effects." "That's fine," Mike assured, "You just have a habit of being idealistic in a realistic situation. Plan for the worst, but salvage the best." Erwin was contemplative for the rest of the drive. Mike and Hange were chatty but he and Levi remained silent. The latter stared out the window, hating this city for chewing him up and then spitting all over his family. Isabel had her moments, but she didn't deserve anything like this.
Farlan was still as pale as Erwin's sheets when Levi walked through the door. His brother glanced up hopefully, but Levi's gaze landed on the man next to him, who smiled peacefully. "Good evening, Levi," Pixis greeted.
"Pixis," Erwin acknowledged. "This must be urgent for you to leave the Rose." The man sat tranquilly on the couch, but Erwin noticed his eyes seemed brighter than normal. Levi must have seen it also, because he went to sit on the arm of the couch, placing his arm around Farlan's shoulders.
"I decided to give you some input," he declared, "because I can feel the moon waxing, and I can see its effect on the visitors to my establishments. I reckon you have two days to get this girl back, before she is tortured beyond recognition or killed." Farlan's complexion dropped another shade even though he tried to keep steel in his eyes. Levi's fingers clawed into the fabric of his brother's shoulder.
Pixis continued, "The Lobov pack is a parasite on this entire city, and you're going to need assistance wiping it out. I know you visited Nile this evening, and I suggest you visit him again to kick a sturdy foot in his ass. My pack is ready. The three of us should attack tomorrow morning. We'll be done by lunch." Levi knew he was not the only person staring at him, dumbfounded. He knew Pixis was serious, but his suggestion was both clever and suicidal. The notion of getting Isabel back so soon was overwhelming, however, and he looked to Erwin.
"Nile will want no part in this," Erwin countered. "What we are prepared to do is murder. It's his job to put murderers in prison." Pixis' eyes glimmered. "You and I both know that the mayor of this city is alpha, and humans are a minority. The city is run by human legislation for show, while pack law rules. Most of the men and women Nile puts behind bars are alphas incorporated in Lobov's pack. He would be foolish not to assist us in this. As I said: we could be done by lunch time tomorrow." Erwin looked at the clock on his wall. "There's hardly enough time to plan." He spoke as if it was just another complication, not a deterrent.
Pixis tipped his head at that. "That's why someone should drag Nile out by the hair and put him to work. I foolishly sold Nicholas the land for his pack decades ago, but I have resources doing reconnaissance as we speak. From what they've given me so far, the man has hardly changed the landscape. I know it without a map." He abruptly turned to Levi and stated, "People are complaining at the club. I want you singing next weekend." "We'll talk about it over lunch," Levi returned. Pixis smiled and looked to Erwin for confirmation. The alpha seemed to be thinking deeply, and after a long moment, silently turned to Mike, who simply smiled and walked out the door. For some reason, Levi suspected Mike was anticipating dragging Nile out of his posh house with menacing glee.
Levi pulled Farlan off the couch, then, and guided him to the kitchen while Erwin and Pixis continued discussing plans for the morning. "Can you do it?" Farlan inquired hopefully, but also warily. "It sounds reckless." "That's because it is," he confirmed, searching through Erwin's cabinets until he found what he wanted: nighttime medicine and alcohol. Levi pulled out the blender, piled in ice and poured a good amount of medicine in with the vodka and whatever fruit juice Erwin had. After a couple minutes, he poured the toxic slushy into a glass and handed it to Farlan. "This will help you sleep." Actually, it would knock him the fuck out until they had Isabel back, but Levi didn't want Farlan worrying, or even trying to join them in the rescue. He slurped down two gulps before he reared back from the beverage. "This is foul." "I'm a barista, not a bartender. Just keep drinking," Levi commanded. Farlan reluctantly returned to the glass until he was drinking from it regularly, buzzed enough to no longer care how it tasted. When he finished two glasses, Levi called it quits. "All right, you're done. I'm trying to make you pass out, not get alcohol poisoning." Farlan hiccuped and let himself be guided up the stairs. Levi helped remove his shoes and worn jeans so Farlan could starfish comfortably in his bed. He was snoring within minutes.
Levi met Erwin in the hall, the latter informing, "Pixis left to help Mike with Nile and finish planning." Frowning, Levi said, "Shouldn't you be a part of that? Shouldn't we both be a part of that?" "We are the cavalry of the plan," Erwin murmured. "Our job is simple: kill everyone between us and Isabel. Nile will be securing the neighborhood as well as several square miles so the rest of the city isn't alerted to the goings on, and Pixis will be guarding the parameters of the community, catching any runaways or blocking any calls for aid." Levi knew that between Erwin's ability to plan and maneuver, Pixis' greed for real estate and his surplus of technology, and Nile's resources as police chief, their chances for saving Isabel were high, but he still hoped it was enough.
He startled slightly when Erwin's palm touched his cheek, not realizing he'd been staring off into space, but then he felt himself lean into it, seeking the comfort of the alpha. "We'll get her back, Levi," he purred.
Levi was not sure what would happen if they didn't. Erwin was planning leagues ahead into the future, and Levi was realizing that he also had to take into concern all of the possibilities. If Isabel…well, he and Farlan had each other, but Isabel was an integral piece to their puzzle. They certainly had the support of Erwin and his pack, but then there was the issue of how they may not come back in the morning. Farlan could wake up to a hangover and a phone call telling him the worst had happened… "Sshhh…" Erwin hushed, leaning down to kiss between Levi's eyes. "Stop thinking. I need your wings to be strong tomorrow. We should try and get some sleep. Is there any of that concoction left?" Levi nodded and they brought up the blending glass to their room, sipping between them until it was all gone and their breaths reeked of cough syrup. Erwin didn't make advances toward Levi, nor vice versa. Both men were too preoccupied for lusty thoughts, let alone sex, but Levi let Erwin pull him against his side, and he curled around Erwin, snuggling into his warmth, using it as an anchor in his nightmares.
Even with the medical smoothie, though, Levi slept as if he were waiting for something; semiconscious enough to hear the air conditioning kick on, shut off, start again, and how the air currents wandered the corridors, whispering as they crept beneath the doors. Erwin slept like the grave, the only clues that he was alive being the rise and fall of his chest, the occasional hand reaching for some part of Levi.
Levi wondered when that had really begun, when had Erwin inserted Levi so deeply in his subconscious that he desired him even in his sleep. It must have been quite a day when Marie figured out that Erwin not only knew she was a spy, but her attentions were for naught.
Levi's eyes opened, staring at the ceiling but not seeing it. He was watching Marie in the shadows between two houses again, arguing and complaining into a cell phone.
He's not fucking interested! she'd said. Strange, how she would be so undone by Erwin's unwillingness to sleep with her when she had a mate waiting at home.
Oh please…the blonde has no idea about that, let alone how the banks are running dry. What do you take me for? He's too busy coddling his neighbors.
No idea about what? There was something there Levi was missing, something he'd arrived too late to hear, or departed too soon to gather. Now that he thought about it, Marie was just as odd as Nile; the man loses his mate, stops searching for her killer in order to help wipe out his brother in law's entire pack? The pack Marie originated…from… Levi shot up in bed, his mind tumbling everything he'd seen and heard over in his brain, all the pieces sliding into place.
Erwin doesn't know she was spying for Nicholas, not Nile… With Marie latched to Nile, Nicholas would have indirect sway over the entire police force, a connection which had to have been severed when Marie died; not to mention eyes and ears in Erwin's pack-one of the top three communities in the entire city. Without Marie, Nicholas was just another alpha, and a desperate one. Taking Isabel was a rash move, but she was the thread that unraveled Levi, then Erwin, then Nile, and even Pixis, whom Nicholas had only managed to purchase land from, but not actually hold sway over.
Levi glanced back at Erwin still asleep. The man had rolled over when Levi shot up, loosely wrapping his arms around Levi's pelvis, but he still slept soundly. He was not the only one who could be thinking well into the future, and as Levi realized their situation, his heart began to sink and sink somewhere beneath the bed.
Nicholas knows he's outnumbered and is letting us walk into a trap. The pack will be demolished but the blame will be on us. Three packs will be discredited and punished, while that bastard will rise to power. Isabel's not there.
Levi berated himself for not figuring this out sooner. Erwin's problem wasn't that he was overestimating the Lobov pack, but underestimating Nicholas. Nicholas would not keep someone so innocent and fragile somewhere his alphas could reach her, at least if he was smart, he wouldn't. Isabel was a bartering token. Levi had been with him long enough to know how he operated.
Carefully rising from the bed, Levi made sure Erwin continued to sleep while he descended the stairs and stepped outside. He listened carefully as he circled the house to make sure he had complete privacy before he scrolled through his telephone contact list. He'd placed a Z before the man's name, just to make sure it was at the bottom and out of sight, but now Levi selected Nicholas's name, and waited.
It barely rang at all before he heard, "Hello, Levi." He scowled. "How did you know?" The alpha's voice was tranquil, almost charming, if Levi had not felt like vomiting just from hearing it. "Because I made you remember my number, once upon a time. I know you're smarter than all of them. Would you like to speak to her?" Levi hesitated. What test would Levi fail if he admitted he wanted to speak with his sister? In the end, it didn't matter. "Yes." The air was static for a brief moment, and then a hesitant, "Hello? Levi?" "Isabel," he breathed with relief. She sounded as defiant as ever, not frightened or struggling.
"When the fuck are you coming to get me? This dude's a total perv: he only has shitty toothpaste for me to use, the air reeks of fucking sulfur and charcoal, and I don't care what he says, the place is fucking haunted." Levi almost grinned as she began to complain some more when the phone was taken away from her. That's my girl.
"As you can tell, we're having a lovely time," Nicholas sighed, like he was jaded from baby sitting. "But she misses you. That makes two of us. You recall where I live, don't you, Levi?" You lying piece of shit, I know where you are. "Yes, I'll see you in a few hours, in fact." "I look forward to your company as ever, little omega." Nicholas likely hung up right then, but Levi beat him to it and immediately opened up his texts. He made a point to have Erwin's number in the new mobile his warranty allowed, and typed quickly before placing the device in the pocket he'd sewn a zipper into, and then made his way down the drive. He couldn't go through the gate: Eld would alert Erwin immediately. Levi took a running head start toward the end of the street, using a car and a SUV like a staircase onto the roof of a house, and then he was clear over the community wall. He landed softly in a roll on the other side, but kept his momentum up as he vaulted over the gate to the park, and sprinted across the city, using the clues Isabel had given him as his guide.
When Erwin awoke with the first light of dawn, he rolled over and inhaled the scent of Levi on the pillow…and then perked his head up to see if a light was on in the bathroom. Erwin sat up like an electric shock had coursed through him. He immediately grabbed his cellphone on the bedside dresser. He had a series of messages from Pixis and Nile regarding the plans in an hour, as well as emails from work, but most recently was one from Levi: It's a trap. Isabel's not there. Do nothing until you hear from me.
His blue irises roiled like fire in the dawn darkness. "LEVI!" he roared, bursting out of the room.
Chapter End Notes PLEASE READ: don't fret, I will be completing this fic, but afterward I will be taking a break to explore another fanfic genre. Until then, please please please vote in the comments of my work titled Upcoming Eruri. You can find it on my page, and what it is, is a short list of settings for Erwin, Levi, and the gang, but you get to choose what alternate universe I write them in next! Please subscribe to either that fic, or directly to me so you can keep up to date as to when I begin writing new projects :) Love you all and thanks so much for reading, kudos, and comments! Of course, Erwin did have a blazer, which he wore over the cool grey shirt he'd worn when he saw Levi sing at the Red Rose. Levi's sweater was a simple black V-neck, but it was soft and deceptively elegant. Erwin leant him a silver, rectangular belt buckle, which split his black-onblack ensemble while giving an air of prestige for the highbrow restaurant. Levi noticed how the host keenly gave them the once over with his eyes before piling a small stack of menus on his forearm and leading them to their table.
On the terrace, they were seated in a booth that overlooked the river on this clean side of town; multicolored lights glittering over the surface. Levi peered at the assortment of menus in front of him: the food menu, the drink menu sans beers and teas, which were separated into the brewery's list of ales, lagers, etc., and the tea menu. Levi moved the beer list out of the way to see the dessert menu as well.
"Why can't they put everything in one damn booklet?" he wondered peevishly.
Erwin chortled, his eyes flicking up from his menu to Levi. "I suppose dealing with the menus forces you to notice what is on them. Have you looked over the teas, yet?" Levi resigned himself to reading over the list of teas before he admitted that there were at least three he wanted to try. He was chewing his lip when noticed at the bottom of the page there was an option for a tea tasting. When he voiced this, Erwin simply smiled and said, "You choose." Levi glanced up at glazed eyes when the waiter took their tea and appetizer order, but when the long tray of small teapots and ceramic cups was placed between him and Erwin, Levi felt those eyes lingering on him. He looked up and found brightly glowing eyes as turquoise as the sea.
For a moment, he thought the waiter was far too young to be showing such powerful feral eyes, but then he realized, "You're her…mika's boyfriend. I've seen you at the café. Annoyingly often." The greenish eyes blinked and faded somewhat with a puzzled look. "Mikasa?" and then he nodded eagerly, "Yes! Um well, no, her brother, I mean, but I didn't think you'd noticed me…um, is it true you're the reason for the, uh, that is, if you don't mind me asking! But, you know, the coffee shop had camera security…" Just what Levi needed: blackmail. "Then you know that he broke the window." The boy did a double take on Erwin as if just realizing he was there. "Alpha Smith! Oh, it's an honor, sir!" He promptly turned back to Levi. "The rumor is that you're omega. You're practically a-well, you are a legend, but one in the flesh, right?" Levi spared a narrow glance at Erwin, commending his alpha for not throttling the kid for his impolite behavior and basic insolence. "Yes, I am, and you're an idiot alpha, just like the rest of them." The boy's expression deflated. "N-No, sir! I've just seen you running across town, and you're just incredible. Sublime, really. Why are there no other omegas?" "Because sublimity only strikes once in a century," Levi snapped as politely as he could. He flicked silver eyes up at the boy, causing him to gasp both with awe and fear. "Scram, runt. I'm on a date." And then the waiter actually looked between Levi and Erwin thrice before the light bulb illuminated above his thick head. His turquoise eyes reflexively flashed at the threat of another alpha in the presence of an omega, but they immediately dimmed at the acknowledgement of a pack master. "OH! Oh…my apologies. Can I collect your order for the kitchen first?" He's an alpha idiot but at least he's mostly civilized, Levi commended inwardly before he gave his food request. Erwin gave his order tranquilly, but at the tiny shake of the waiter's hands, Erwin's irises glimmered with their customary blue flames while a wolfish grin curved his lips. The waiter made a point to give new meaning to the word 'scram.' "Sublime," Erwin reiterated, as if he was rolling it around, tasting it in his mouth. "He was quite taken with you." "Who isn't," Levi returned, lazily perusing the dessert menu. The statement was not exactly a question but not as loaded with sarcasm as it could have been.
"He was staring at you since we came onto the terrace." Levi's eyes swooped up from the menu. "You're jealous of a kid who hasn't finished puberty?" Erwin shrugged but Levi could tell something was truly bothering him. "It is in my nature to answer an alpha's threat, voiced or not." "Yeah, well it's in mine to stick my foot in an alpha's ass on occasion. I don't care if the kid stares, but if I have to remind you that this is not only a date but your idea, while you're concerned with a mid-pubescent child, I'll just meet you at home." Erwin's expression was statuesque, shocked by Levi's abrupt declaration. He observed Levi's countenance and carefully reached a hand over the table, where Levi was fidgeting with his tasting cup, rapidly rotating it over the tablecloth. "Of course not," he purred quietly. "You're worried about the cameras?" Levi's teeth ground together, put out by how easily Erwin guessed the true source of his vexation. "I have some pride to maintain." Erwin withdrew his phone from his interior breast pocket, which reflected on his face as he typed a quick message before sliding it back into his blazer. "Eld is beta and off duty tonight, not to mention he is irreplaceable regarding electronic matters. He will keep a clear head and take care of it immediately." He met Levi's stunned, vacant stare and proffered a soft smile. Erwin gently shoved the cup aside so he could play with Levi's fingers, lacing theirs together. Levi appeared to be debating whether or not to be dubious or trustworthy, so Erwin made the decision for him. "The rumors will die soon enough. Only I get to see you in any form of vulnerability. I gave Eld specific instructions to destroy the footage and all copies of it. Can we enjoy tonight? Everything is as right in the world as it could possibly be, and I actually enjoyed watching another alpha's reaction at knowing you are mine, teenager or otherwise." He flipped Levi's hand over so his palm was up, and with his laced fingers he drew the hand across the table to meet his lips. Erwin kissed the center of Levi's palm and felt a slight twitch in his fingers from how sensitive he was from having his fingers stretched back. Erwin pressed soft kisses on each mound where the bases of Levi's fingers were, and grazed his lips up to kiss the base of his palm, the net of veins on his wrist.
Erwin could tell Levi felt like squirming and flicked his eyes up to find a prominent, rosy hue on Levi's cheeks and neck. Per usual, he called upon sarcasm to his defense, "You just enjoyed watching an alpha get scolded by an omega, didn't you?" Erwin smiled and placed their hands back on the table. He traced Levi's veins with his fingertips as he said, "Maybe a little. I mostly enjoyed your blunt insistence that I am the only alpha you tolerate." The corner of Levi's mouth curved. "'Tolerate.' That's appropriate." Erwin laughed as the tension finally broke. Their food arrived and their waiter scampered away, only returning to take the empty plates and the dessert order: chocolate cake with vanilla brandy lava. The gooey interior of the cake pooled around the chocolate mound the moment Erwin's spoon pierced through it, and Levi's tongue lavished his own to get every crumb and sweetness from it.
Erwin gave the waiter a tip almost as large as their bill, and left the restaurant with Levi's hand clasped in his. It was just after eleven o'clock when the key turned in the car's ignition, and those indigo lights became the only things illuminating the car's interior. A warm hand slid over Levi's thigh, resting mostly on his inner leg while Erwin's thumb unconsciously stroked along the sensitive muscle. Levi glanced over, expecting to see those blue eyes focused on the road; he felt nailed to his seat when he found them locked on him instead.
Levi barely paid attention to the rest of the drive. Erwin looked away and suddenly they were pulling through the neighborhood gate. Levi turned to reach for the door handle but then felt himself pushed back in his seat before Erwin's hand closed around his knee and pulled him across the car to sit astride Erwin's lap. The seat abruptly lowered, jarring Levi's chest flush with Erwin's, whose hands were freely roaming Levi's body. He became immediately aware of the alpha's body temperature through his clothing.
"Fuck, Erwin! Have you felt this way all night?" Erwin's response was grasping Levi's nape to position him for a hot kiss. He hadn't noticed Erwin's spike in temperature because the tea heated his lips, but now the tea was gone, and Erwin was still boiling. Levi could taste traces of tea and vanilla brandy on his lips; when Levi instinctively nibbled on the taste there, licking and plumping Erwin's lips, fingertips clawed down his back, causing Levi to shiver.
"Erwin…Isabel and Farlan are at Petra's." The alpha froze, and suddenly the car door was open, car and house keys jingling in Erwin's hand as Levi got out. He ran a hand through his black hair, taking a calming breath while Erwin almost lazily unlocked the house and held the door open for him.
The door all but slammed and Levi yelped when Erwin's hands grabbed his hips, lifting him right up the majority of the staircase before Levi reached for the banister, the wall, something for panicked stability. His feet touched down on the landing, but he lurched against the corner of the wall, gripping it as Erwin's hand dived right under the belt and palmed his groin. Levi gasped but the air caught in his throat as Erwin's mouth locked onto his scent gland, his nose tickling Levi's ear.
Erwin already had the belt undone and was stroking Levi's erection and gently fondling his balls while he ushered the rapidly melting omega into his bedroom. "Erwin! Ah…" he complained, barely able to walk while he was being tortured this way. They made it to the doorway but Levi had to grab it for a moment of stability and to breathe. Erwin had planted kisses all across his neck and moved to his other gland, relishing how Levi could not control the rotation of his hips into Erwin's touch.