The Alpha and his Omega

(Un)solicited Advice [Work/Life 8]

Levi flipped through his phone nervously. Even before he had revealed his sordid past to Eren, he had already come to terms that the brat meant everything to him. The calm, gentle affection and sympathy his mate showed him that morning made him want to cry – not that he did. He knew that Eren was The One... but did the brat feel the same way?

The alpha had been toying with the idea for a while now, ever since he returned from his last trip and met Eren at the airport. He had never been interested in a long-term romantic relationship, let alone one which was supposed to be for life. Now, however, although he was happy with what they had, a part of Levi wanted more. Eren was already bound to him, biologically speaking, with their mating and there were some legal rights one had in such a situation, but this was completely different. Practically speaking, there were concerns over taxes, insurance, property, and all sorts of other things that would be so much easier in a sense if they were married.

But those reasons didn't count.

The more Levi thought of the idea, the more appealing it sounded. He wasn't getting any younger – not that there was a limit on these things – and there was a bone-deep sense of rightness in calling Eren more than just his mate. Eren was not only his best friend and lover, but also his confidant and pillar of support. Yes, in many ways the omega was still a shitty brat, but instead of being annoying, Levi found the younger male's antics endearing most of the time. A ring might only be a symbol of the relationship, but to Levi it was much more than that. It meant that he was Eren's and Eren was his. And there was almost nothing he wouldn't do for his omega.

He wanted to do this right, but it was difficult without parents to ask for a blessing or any guidance in how to go about it. There were online forums and classic examples floating around on the internet, movies, and so forth, but he didn't want something at that level. Before all of that, however, Levi wanted to make sure what he was planning wasn't just some fanciful notion he'd dreamed up and that Eren would actually agree. He'd never live it down if his mate didn't.

And it wasn't just Eren that he needed to win over. The people around them, Eyebrows and the lunatic for him, and Mikasa and Arlert for Eren, were just as important.

Hange and Erwin would be on his side, probably. With the lunatic it was always hard to say, but Hange had been very supportive of their relationship, albeit a bit too creepily, and Erwin was as well. Heck, they were the ones trying to push him into it, not that it was the reason the idea had been in his mind recently.

Any real issues would come from Eren's side. Since his cousin and that blonde were the people closest to Eren, Levi figured it would be better to check with them before popping the question rather than having a knife aimed at his heart for not talking to them first. The blonde he wasn't concerned about, it was dealing with his cousin that worried him. There was still some bad blood between Mikasa and him, or rather lingering animosity she held towards him, so he didn't want to risk popping the question without confirming whether she was okay with it. Levi was still looking forward to spending his life with the brat, not lying in a ditch somewhere bleeding out.

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"Cat got your tongue, Levi?"

He had never seen his dark-haired friend so distracted before. It wouldn't be noticeable to a casual observer, but Erwin was probably the only person aside from Hange and Eren who knew Levi best. Although whatever it was wasn't detracting from Levi's work ethic and performance, there was only one thing able to make the alpha act like that: Eren. Erwin wouldn't pride himself on being an expert about the relationship Levi had with the younger omega, but he knew his friend, and Levi was deeply in love with Eren.