Chapter Text
"So, we wanted to share this big news with all of you tonight who have always been with us, rooting for us and are the bestest friends and uncles!"
"We're expecting a baby! Again !"
Exclamations and claps followed the couple's news, happy cheers erupting all over their table. Some of the other patrons at the restaurant turned their heads around to watch the fuzz they were making but the group didn't care.
Erwin was so happy about his friend's news, Mike and Nanaba were great parents and their babys were so adorable. After having their latest baby two years ago, their third one, everyone in their friend group thought the factory was closed -- the couple said so themselves many times afterwards. Apparently it wasn't. Erwin was happy, he was truly happy for them.
Yet he still had to force his smile a little bit to reach a full grin. He breathed out in hopes that nobody would realize about it or the fact that his breath came out a bit shaky.
Erwin felt Mike's eyes meeting his with what seemed like guilt in them. There was no reason to feel like this and so Erwin shook his head, offering an honest smile to reassure his friend. Mike's eyes travelled then to another person, a person sitting right across from Erwin, as the rest of their friends stood up to congratulate the expecting parents.
Levi seemed just as happy, with a small smile. Even though they had been together for years, Erwin's heart still raced every time Levi's lips formed that small smile and dimples, characteristic of the omega.
The smaller man's narrow shoulders were tense, though, and it didn't take an intellectual to notice the way he, too, was struggling to keep his smile. His eyes weren't sparkling with joy but with something else, the alpha knew it.
But he didn't point it out. He nodded at Mike once the taller looked back at him and silently stood up, observing carefully as Levi did the same at the other side of the table. Erwin rounded it and walked along Levi, keeping a hand on his waist and guiding the gently smaller one towards the happy couple.
The rest of the night was spent in a rush of delicious food and great conversation, about the kids, work and life in general. Despite gathering once every two weeks, their group of friends always had something new to talk about and when they didn't, they always had some gossip about someone else to share. Erwin opted out of drinking any more wine and instead watched Levi drown another glass, a forlorn look in his eyes in spite of the way he was smiling and nodding at what Nanaba was telling him.
Erwin's insides twisted painfully.
When the night ended, Erwin and Levi hugged their friends goodbye, exchanged congratulatory words once again and proceeded to make their way towards their car parked in the restaurant's private parking lot. Erwin had his hand at the back of Levi's neck as they walked side by side, thumb pressing into the pale skin tenderly as a comfortable silence settled in. He could smell the distress in Levi, however, even if the omega was good at pretending it wasn't there.
Eventually Levi would come to him, it was always like this. The omega would rather mull over his feelings and then talk it out with Erwin. The alpha was the opposite, he would always share his troubles with his mate. Erwin needed to let it all out right away, otherwise his worries would eat him alive until he just couldn't take it anymore. But he knew he ought to respect Levi's timing on this one. Urging him to talk to him would only cause the opposite effect, making Levi shut off. Even if every single cell in his body was crying out for Levi, his inner alpha wanting to only comfort his omega right then and there, not wait, Erwin had to stop himself, to control himself. It was for the best.
Their home was dark and silent as soon as they walked in and only once their shoes were off and Erwin attempted to tug Levi closer, did the omega speak, avoiding his touch.
"I'm going to take a shower." He said barely above a whisper.
The alpha didn't say anything about how he had already taken a shower merely hours ago. Instead Erwin pouted, internally willing Levi not to go but again, he knew better than to voice it out. The alpha watched helplessly as the smaller left, walking the hallway and going into their bedroom. He sighed tiredly and gave Levi his space, choosing to get into bed earlier.
Erwin followed after him when some minutes passed, giving the omega a heads up. He walked into the room and undressed himself, carefully folding his clothes and leaving them in the chair next to his bookshelf. If the alpha were to leave everything on the floor as he usually did with Levi in a mood, then he would most likely sleep on the couch. Not something he was keen on doing if he was being honest for he too was not feeling exactly bubbly tonight.
His nose twitched badly when he started smelling a sad scent, no doubt coming from the only other person in the house. Erwin bit his lip and thought deeply about his next move. He had two choices; either he went and silently comforted Levi, risking getting yelled at and kicked out. It could potentially end well though, with his mate taking the opportunity to open up without it getting too much for him to handdle alone. Or he could go and confront Levi about why the omega was feeling like this and, again, that could end up well or very badly.
Even so, the alpha had to go to Levi either way. Now that he had started to also hear tiny sniffles and sobs coming from the bathroom there was no way Erwin wouldn't do a thing. Even if he did end up sleeping on the couch, something was better than nothing and he just couldn't let his mate cry all alone either way.
Erwin entered the bathroom slowly, dressed in his pajamas. He could thankfully see what was happening since his omega hadn't chosen to take a hot shower, which would have made the glass walls of the shower stall foggy and thus preventing the alpha from seeing the state his mate was in. No, Erwin had a perfect view of Levi's gorgeous pale body, forehead pressed to the wall as his shoulders shook. Only his nape and naked back were getting wet by the shower head but that didn't seem to bother the omega.
Without a second thought, Erwin took off his pajamas and underwear and entered the shower stall. Levi tensed, fully sensing his presence and refused to turn around, inhaling deeply and sniffing the tears away. This didn't go unnoticed by the alpha. Erwin merely grabbed Levi's waist and turned him around, abusing a little of his alpha strength and not feeling bad about it. Not when his own mate was clearly going through something bad enough he had felt the need to cry in the shower alone instead of coming to him.
Once Levi was in front of him, his eyes refusing to meet Erwin's, he felt the cold water quickly drenching them both. His hands cupped the omega's face and, although he knew it was useless since they were in the shower, he wiped away the trail of tears that fell from those beautiful silver eyes.
"Talk to me please." Erwin whispered, lightly squeezing his round cheeks.
Levi closed his eyes and the alpha felt the body before him trembling just a bit. Sneakily, he turned on the hot water faucet with his hand, hoping Levi wouldn't get sick from the cold water.
"It's stupid." Levi mumbled, shaking his head a little before Erwin made him look properly at him.
"No, it's not. Tell me."
They looked at each other for a few seconds, Levi's red rimmed eyes seemingly searching for something in Erwin's worried ones. The alpha knew what was troubling the other, of course he knew for he felt the exact same way. He was just hoping his omega would come to him first.
"It's just… I'm happy for Mike and Nanaba, I really am. But I just…" Levi sniffed loudly, tears brimming his eyes again. Erwin's thumb cleaned the rogue ones that fell. "They already have three kids, Erwin. Three . I'm not saying they shouldn't have more but why do they keep having them and we… and I…"
His mate's voice wavered before he could finish yet Erwin already knew what Levi meant.
Mike and Nanaba had a lot of kids and they kept having more while Levi and Erwin had been trying to get pregnant for years and hadn't gotten any luck thus far.
It was surely a jealous part of them talking. However, Erwin didn't feel half as guilty for thinking about that as he used to feel. Granted, he was extremely happy for their friends but he was also envious because they had what he and Levi wanted dearly and yet couldn't seem to have.
Erwin met Levi in his second year of college, Levi was on his third and on his road to become a social worker. While Erwin was studying advocacy to take over his father's company of advocacy. They fell hard and fast, without waiting long before confessing since they both already knew the other was their other half. It took one sniff of Levi's jasmine mixed with a tinge of vanilla scent for Erwin to know that scent was the one he wanted to keep around for the rest of his life. The omega found the alpha's peaches and roses scent comforting enough to soothe him and drive him mad.
It was meant to be and despite what his family told him, don't settle down so soon Erwin, college is for experimenting, you're going to get bored, Erwin didn't pay them any heed. In fact he told them a few years later just how wrong they had been. The alpha had never gotten bored of Levi, his mate surprised him everyday with new bits of information or new changes that only made Erwin fall for him harder, over and over again.
They had claimed each other and gotten married when they finished college. Erwin waited for him since he graduated a year before Levi, then the alpha started working at his father's company and the two celebrated with a dreamy wedding and honeymoon.
"I just don't understand why we can't and everyone else can! We want it, we have been wanting it for so long . I can't help but think that there's something wrong and…"
Erwin shook his head before Levi started again with that. He had heard enough of his omega saying there was something seriously wrong with him.
They had gone to see plenty of doctors after the first year of trying and not being able to get pregnant and they had all told them there was nothing seemingly wrong with either of them. Not biologically speaking nor medically. For some inexplicable reason, they just couldn't. Levi liked to blame himself for not being able to get knocked up but if there was someone to blame then Erwin would be equally as guilty because he too couldn't get his own mate pregnant. He hated to hear Levi blaming himself for something that, at this point, was beyond them.
It was hard, of course. There was a time where it was a complicated topic to approach with family and friends, it still clearly was . Levi's uncle pestered his mate every time they saw each other ever since Levi introduced him as his boyfriend, asking each and every time if the omega was expecting or planning on it anytime soon. It was increasingly becoming hard for the alpha not to snap at the uncle and tell him off, but he wasn't disrespectful like that. For Erwin it was especially hard to see Levi struggling so much over it, losing so much confidence and trust in their relationship. Although he understood it perfectly, better than anyone else could do. They both dreamt of having a family together and it's hard when the thing you want the most always escapes you, even more so when you have to see everyone around you getting it while at the same time your own family starts questioning you about it. It would be too much for anyone.
Their relationship was perfect, they were after all the perfect match. They complemented each other well and didn't try hard to keep the flame alive after the years for the flame had never withered. Erwin still found himself wanting to make love Levi on a daily basis and was happy to find out that, in spite of being more shy about it, his mate felt the same way. Even while they had fights or conflicts, because it wouldn't be healthy not to have any at all, they still lived happily and in love.
And yet they hadn't been able to conceive in all those years.
Since they were economically well off, they never really thought having a baby would be a problem. In fact, they both decided early on their relationship that they wanted to be parents. Getting pregnant accidentally wouldn't be a problem so they never really put much thought into that being a possibility. If they forgot to use protection they didn't care that much. After three years they had completely stopped fighting it and actually stopped buying condoms.
That was when they officially started trying.
They never stopped, not even two years later, and in their ten years together, they still had never gotten pregnant. Not even a false alarm. Nothing.
"There's nothing wrong with you or us, love." Erwin tried to soothe his mate, voice calm. "We just have to keep trying."
"I don't want to keep trying!" Levi cried out loud, making Erwin's heart break with the way big fat tears rolled down his chubby cheeks. His own eyes watered. "I know you won't say it out loud but it has been taking a toll on you! I'm tired of always having to watch other people getting pregnant but us!"
Erwin bit his lip to hold his own tears down. Levi's eyes were a mix between sadness and anger. He couldn't possibly blame his mate for feeling like this when he also felt like this some days. Despair, pressure, anger, jealousy. It did take a toll yet Erwin had never once blamed it on Levi.
The omega grabbed Erwin's hands that were still holding his face and took them away, angrily wiping his runny nose afterwards. Levi looked at the alpha straight in the eyes with sad eyes, before turning around to face the wall once again.
"You should go find another omega who can have your baby, Erwin. It has been proven that I cannot. You shouldn't suffer because my body refuses to work properly." Levi spat out, leaving him momentarily frozen in his place.
Anger was slowly rising to his own blood and Erwin knew he must have been emitting strong pheromones because he suddenly felt a little dizzy. He couldn't help it though, it was his natural reaction to his mate saying he should leave him.
"That's not even a possibility." He answered through gritted teeth, refusing to believe Levi even suggested that again.
"Well it should fucking be! When are you gonna realize that I'm not able to give you what you want?!" Levi yelled into his face when he turned around and faced him once again, his brows furrowed and his full lips pursed tightly.
"You're the only thing I want!" Erwin answered helplessly. The mere thought of being intimate with someone who wasn't Levi, of someone else carrying his kid, made him want to puke. The mere thought of being with someone who just wasn't Levi was not even worth thinking about. "I don't want anyone else to have my child but you . I want you to carry my baby and if that's not possible then that's it. I only want that with you."
Levi's eyes looked down, his scent was still highly distressed, Erwin was starting to get truly worried. By now his own pheromones should have calmed his mate down but Levi seemed really worked up.
This wasn't even their first big fight about babies.
A while after they had gone to visit the first few doctors they had fought hard about this same thing. Levi always kept his feelings to himself and usually exploded once it got too much for him. It was the first time Erwin had realized just how much it hurt his mate to not be able to get pregnant despite all their best efforts. They had a similar conversation, Levi screaming that he should leave him and find someone else to have a baby with. Somehow, his mate thought that that was something Erwin could easily do, as though the omega even uttering those words didn't make Erwin want to curl up and cry.
There was no one else but Levifor him, and there wouldn't be. Even if they never got to have children, even if their family was only the two of them, Erwin hadn't and wouldn't ever consider leaving him an alternative.
"You should do it because I don't want you to wake up twenty years down the line and realize that you could have had it all if you had left when you still had the chance." Levi whispered softly, almost like it was a secret he didn't want to tell Erwin.
The alpha closed the minimum space between the two and held his mate close. The two were right under the shower head and Erwin didn't know if his face was wet because of it or if it was his own tears. He just knew that Levi's body was trembling and that he was sobbing despite fighting to get away. It was breaking Levi's heart little by little.
"Listen to me, Lee, please, I beg you." He muttered, trying to get the man to hear him without jumping in with his resolutions. "I am as much to blame and I could be asking you to leave me for a better alpha too."
Levi shook his head, visibly disagreeing with him. "There's no better alpha than you, Win"
Erwin laughed a little at the sudden change of mood, now his mate looked completely offended that Erwin had even hinted at the same thing the other had done seconds ago.
"See? There's no better omega for me either. You are the one for me, love. You, Levi Ackerman-Smith. No one else. I don't care if it takes years for us to get our little pup or if we never get the chance. I would never hold it against you, ever. I hope you know that."
Levi stopped wiggling around and fighting him and let himself be embraced by his mate, hiding his face in Erwin's chest. Erwin squeezed him tightly, basking in the omega's scent, which seemed to finally relax a bit.
"I understand how you feel, but never ask me to find someone else again, Lee. I can't bear to even think of it."
"I don't want you to hate me for being useless."
The omega's voice was barely audible with the shower cascading down on them but Erwin could have heard it anywhere. He closed his eyes tightly, not willing to continue letting his mate feel like it was his fault.
"You're not useless and I could never hate you. I love you with all that I am." Erwin confessed, leaning back a bit for Levi to see the sincerity in his words, despite his omega being very good at smelling he was being completely honest.
Levi pouted at him, looking like he still wanted Erwin to listen to his advice in spite of his feelings but Erwin shook his head.
"I'm not leaving, not now and not ever, okay? So you better get used to this and good cuddling because when you let me give you this," his hand snaked around Levi's body and his fingers pressed down on the claim mark that decorated the omega's beautiful pale neck. A shiver ran down Levi's spine and his eyes hooded. "You agreed to having me around for the rest of our lives. I'm planning to keep my word, Lee, for life ."
Levi let out a defeated sigh and just snuggled Erwin. He let the alpha finish cleaning the two and then let him dry him off. He looked distracted in his own world as Erwin did it yet he let his mate have some time alone with his thoughts. Talking, or in this case fighting, about their failed attempts at conceiving always drained them of their energy. Even if Erwin still wanted to comfort and reassure Levi about his decisions, he knew it would be useless. Levi needed not to think about it anymore, bringing the topic up again would only cause more trouble.
So he dressed them both in pajamas and then waited in bed for Levi to finish washing his teeth, smiling when the smaller got out of the bathroom looking cute and small in a pair of oversized pajamas that clearly belonged to Erwin and his unruly dark hair in a messy pile over his head. The omega turned the lights off and slowly made his way over to the bed. Once inside he covered himself with the comforter, a good distance away from Erwin and giving the alpha a good view of his clothed back.
Erwin sighed, already expecting Levi to put distance after an argument. He huddled closer and wrapped his arms and legs around the smaller body like an octopus, being enveloped wholly by jasmine and vanilla. He buried his nose in the omega's neck and inhaled happily.
"You know I love you the most, right?"
Erwin would have to keep an eye on Levi for a few days just to check that his omega wasn't beating himself up because of this again but he didn't mind. He was glad he had Levi in his life and wouldn't have it any other way.
If there was one thing Erwin was grateful for was getting off work at a reasonable hour. 9 to 5 work at its finest when you were the boss. No one in the office stayed late and he wouldn't be the one starting. If he did have some unfinished work that could not wait for the next day, Erwin would always prefer doing it in the comfort of his home. Having mated with a Social worker, Jongin was used to coming to an empty home. Kyungsoo was very dedicated to his job. His mate would rather not mix work with home life as Erwin did, which was the reason why the alpha was always the first one home.
Some days he tried to cook something with his more than lacking culinary abilities. His mate was the food expert in their relationship and thus, the one who did most of the cooking. Erwin was a master in whisking whatever they had in their pantry and calling it a day.
Right now, however, after walking inside their apartment, his nose twitched when a whiff of fresh vanilla was the first thing he registered. Immediately his inner alpha frown.
Erwin made his way towards their living room as it was the place where Levi's scent was stronger, being close to his omega after a long day apart only made Erwin realize that his mate's scent was off as well. A little more strong, pungent yet sweeter at the same time.
Levi was laying sideways on the couch, brows furrowing slightly showing discomfort. His opened laptop and many papers scattered over the coffee table. His mate clearly fell asleep while working, which wasn't totally unusual. It wasn't the reason he was home early today though.
Erwin walked carefully to the omega and knelt down in front of his head. As if sensing his mate's scent, Levi's eyes fluttered open and his body instinctively scooted closer to the alpha, relaxing a bit from the previous tension.
"Hey, love. How are you feeling?" The alpha asked while his hands threaded through his mate's hair, earning a pleased hum. Levi craned his head to nose Erwin's neck, inhaling deeply.
Today Erwin had woken up because he felt and heard Levi whimpering while tossing and turning. His inner alpha alerted right away and Erwin comforted his mate as one of his usual final's migraines took over. The omega usually had them when he was overworked.. From the way Levi looked like he hadn't slept and how distressed he smelled, Erwin figured it was a bad one. He had insisted the omega stay home but Levi paid no heed to him. So the alpha helped him get ready and practically had to force Levi to at least have some breakfast. The omega ended up taking two sips from Erwin's coffee and slowly munching half of a granola bar before he called it a day, tiredly whispering goodbye and giving his alpha a kiss.
Erwin was not at all surprised that Levi had had to end his working day early, seeing as he smelled just as pained as this morning. The alpha's worry decreased a bit when the omega's scent started calming down and he smelled relieved as he buried his face in Erwin's neck, hand gripping his shoulder and pulling him closer as he inhaled.
"Like a group of tap dancers is using my brain as a stage." The omega mumbled, making Erwin laugh a little.
"You should have stayed home, I told you so." He whispered while his hands moved from Levi's hair to his round cheeks that looked a little too pale for Erwin's liking.
"It's end of the month job, Win. You know perfectly well that every end of the month they leave me more work than usual." Levi deadpanned before sitting up and groggily looking around.
"You have been having bad headaches the whole week, Lee. You need a break."
His omega pouted at him, doe eyes pleading. Erwin wouldn't fall for his mate's distraction tactics when it came to his health.
"I can't rest now, but I will soon. I promise." Levi told him, his hand moving to caress Erwin's claim mark through the alpha's shirt. The touch was an instant relaxer for Erwin, whose shoulders slumped down, defeated.
As much as he would like to keep pestering Levi about how he shouldn't let himself get carried away like he always did when he was busy at the work, the omega's touch only made him feel gooey inside and butterflies to flap around his belly. Erwin was more than sure Levi had done it on purpose, distracting him so as to not get scolded.
Erwin let him have it though. Mainly because he was sick and also because he didn't want to spend their entire night talking it out. He hoped to have a nice dinner with his mate and then cuddle in bed, it would do Levi good instead of the two fighting about work and keep feeding his migraine.
Or at least that was what Erwin had hoped.
The headaches didn't stop. Despite some days being bearable, some other days they were pretty bad, not even medication could stop his omega from hurting and it was heartbreaking for Erwin to see Levi in so much pain. His inner alpha howling at nothing in particular for it to stop. It was an ever evolving problem. When the migraine became too unbearable, Levi would end up not eating altogether in fear of throwing up, which had happened plenty of times. Sometimes he even got too dizzy to move. Erwin feared his mate would just faint one day without him being near him. He had taken two days off so far to stay home in order to take care of Levi when the omega was so ill he didn't want to get up from bed.
His fear came true one day when during a company meeting, Levi rang his phone. Erwin quickly answered in spite of knowing he would have to cut their call short and ask his mate to call him later.
"Hey, love. I'm in a meeting. I'll call you back, okay?"
"Erwin."
Surprisingly, it wasn't Levi's deep and soothing voice that came from his phone but Nanaba's tensed one. The alpha frowned, feeling himself tensing up as well. Why would Nanaba ever be calling him from his mate's phone number?
"Nana?" He asked worriedly, hand coming to scratch his ear as he motioned the rest of the people present for a short break and stood up from his chair to move closer to the window. The meeting was momentarily paused but he still didn't want the personnel to hear anything.
"Soo... he wasn't feeling well this morning and he got dizzy at lunch. I told him to go home but he refused, you know how he is. I went to check on him before going home and we were talking just fine when he suddenly passed out. We are already at the hospital and they are doing tests."
Erwin's mind blacked out and yet his feet instinctively took him out of the room, dismissing his team who tried to ask questions. They didn't matter and neither did the stupid meeting.
"Send me the address, Nanaba. I'll be there as soon as I can."
The alpha arrived at the hospital in under five minutes. He had surely broken a few traffic laws along the way but it wasn't like he cared about it either way. Nanaba was outside the room that had been assigned to his mate, anxiously pacing around the hallway and looking at him with teary eyes when he saw Erwin approach, apologies falling from his lips quickly. The alpha assured him it wasn't his fault and thanked him for taking care of Levi, advising him to leave before he caught a bug or something, it wouldn't really be ideal since Nanaba was pregnant and Mike would kill him if something happened to his mate and baby, and then he walked inside his mate's room.
Laying over the hospital bed his omega looked calmer than Erwin had ever seen him this past week. Levi's skin was paler than usual and he had dark eye bags under his eyes but he looked peaceful as he slept. Or at least Erwin hoped he was sleeping and he hadn't just not woken up at all after fainting. His mate was dressed in the hospital pjs and his hand was hooked onto an IV. Erwin walked closer to the bed and sat down in the big chair next to the omega's hospital bed, which conveniently was on the side where Levi's free hand was. The alpha gripped the hand tightly and brought it closer to his lips, kissing it tenderly.
Erwin felt awful.
He felt sad and worried sick. Guilty that he hadn't been there for Levi like he had promised in his vows that he would. Like he promised to do when he claimed his mate his. The alpha inside of him was hurting and wanting to hurt something as well for having his mate laying on a bed and not healthily standing by his side. There was a turmoil of feelings all bottling over Erwin and he just wanted Levi to wake up and to know he was okay. Well, as okay as one could be after passing out.
One thing was certain though, Erwin would fight tooth and nail for the omega to take some time off once they got to go home. It didn't matter if it ended up in a fight and Levi got mad at him, it was due time. Staying silent about it hadn't gotten the alpha anywhere this far and instead it had gotten his mate in a hospital so Erwin guessed he had a more than valid point to argue about it now.
Much like they had done some days ago, Levi's eyes fluttered open when he smelled Erwin in the room. Perhaps it was his delusional alpha ego or something else but Erwin would like to believe Levi could smell him even in his sleep. He himself felt ten times more comfortable and comforted when he slept near his mate or had his alluring scent in the room.
Levi looked disoriented as he slowly woke up, hand squeezing Erwin's. There was momentarily fear in his scent and then just calm at having Erwin there. The alpha smiled in relief at having his mate waking up.
"Feeling better, love?" He asked with a strained voice. Erwin couldn't help getting a little emotional when he found out Levi had been taken to the hospital. The creeping fear was still there in the back of his mind and he knew it would be hard to let it go for a while.
"This is good." Levi answered groggily as he lifted his hooked hand, looking at the medicine with lidded eyes. He looked like a cute lost and pretty cat, Erwin thought lovingly. The alpha couldn't help but chuckle.
The omega looked back at him and seemed more aware of his surroundings. "You scared me to death, love." Erwin confessed, pulling Levi's other hand closer to his heart.
"Sorry, Win." Levi's lips formed a little smile. It was lazy but it still made Erwin's heart miss a beat.
"It's not your fault." Erwin soothed him, caressing his knuckles. The omega shifted on the bed a little, wanting to sit up so he stood up and helped his mate.
"You're right though, I need to take better care of myself. I always let work consume me." Levi sighed as though he himself was annoyed that he had let it come to this.
His omega might be the most stubborn man Erwin had ever met, yet when he wanted he could be so easy to pick things up and be resolute to change them. Of course in hindsight the alpha knew it wouldn't be easy for Levi to change his ways but his mate was more than capable of doing it. Erwin would be there encouraging him and rooting for him since he too didn't want a repeat.
"Hey, don't worry about it now. We'll figure it out." One of his hands let go of one of Levi and moved to cup his cheek.
The glass door opening cut their private moment short and Errwinlooked away from his mate to see a woman walking inside. The girl seemed young and yet there was an air of elegance hanging on around her, as though she had a lot of experience despite her youth. She had a white long coat indicating that she was indeed a resident. The little nametag revealing she was Petra Ral.
"Good evening Mr. Ackerman-Smith, how are you feeling now?" She asked politely, giving Erwin a nod and a small smile. Her focus was solely on Levi which the alpha could only thank her for.
Residents were usually young and hence they were easily distracted with a beautiful omega like Levi. Erwin could still vividly remember that one time Levi had badly twisted his ankle for having rushed down the stairs and he took the omega to the nearest hospital. The resident that came to look at his mate's wound had been so mesmerized by Levi that spent at least 15 minutes ogling before spending another 20 minutes feeling the omega's legs up just in case. Erwin had been livid back then, ready to quite literally snap his neck.
He was glad Dr. Ral seemed to be a professional. Her scent was also fairly dimmed and neutral so that put Erwin more at ease because he was more than certain it made Levi calmer.
"Yeah, the drip is doing wonders." His mate offered sarcastic reply, Erwin narrowed his eyes reprimandingly at the joke. Dr. Ral chuckled softly, almost silently, as she looked down at her board.
"The mate I assume?" Her gaze fell on Erwin.
"Erwin Smith-Ackerman." She nodded thoughtfully before looking back at Levi.
"Well, Mr. Ackerman-Smith, you were dehydrated when you arrived and the bloodwork's results show that you are anemic. Your iron levels were too low for the doctor's liking so that's why we hooked the IV." She moved to check Levi's IV drip while she spoke. "Your levels were not extremely low so don't worry too much, but taking into account your condition we advised you to talk to your own doctor to further treat it in the future."
"What condition?" Erwin questioned her, confused as to what she was talking about.
As far as the alpha knew, Levi didn't have any previous condition. Levi was in perfect health. They would know, they had gone to a lot of doctors through the years. Lots of tests and results that showed the omega was not sick in any way. The anemia could easily be explained by Levi's finals work month psychosis. However, the doctor said it wasn't that bad yet so something else must have appeared on Levi's tests that they were not aware of. His inner alpha and his more human side were equally panicking at that.
Dr. Ral switched between gazing at both of them a few times before she settled for going over her chart. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ackerman-Smith, did you not know you were pregnant?"
Silence .
Utter silence followed.
Erwin was speechless and yet even while his mind couldn't comprehend the doctor's words, his eyes got misty.
"It's a joke, right?." Levi mumbled, sounding breathless. "It can't be."
Dr. Ral blinked fastly, as though she hadn't seen that one coming. Erwin could relate.
"The blood work came back positive. We… we thought you were aware. Despite the anemia you also had low blood pressure so we believe you fainted mainly due to your pregnancy." Levi shook his head, still not believing her words. "We did an ultrasound just to check that the baby was indeed okay after the fall, here.'
Just like that, the doctor produced a strip of ultrasound scans from the chart she had in her hands, passing them to Levi. The omega refused to look at them, turning his head towards the wall behind Erwin.
Erwin didn't let go of Levi's hand yet with his other hand he took the scans. He didn't realize he was shaking until he was staring at his mate's ultrasound and the picture shook in his hold.
Even with the shakiness, Erwin couldn't have ever missed it. There was a teeny tiny blob of white surrounded by all blacks and greys, a small thing that looked a lot like nothing yet there was something that looked an awful lot like a head. It seemed like all the air left his body as the tears fell down his cheeks freely. An ugly lump in his throat made the alpha have to retort to using his hand in order to get Levi's attention, squeezing it tightly. Erwin couldn't quite get his mind round it but there was this feeling of total joy threatening to burst from every pore of his body.
Erwin didn't notice Dr. Ral silently gave them a minute and left the room until Levi was staring at him. The omega was shaking in his place and words were not needed in that moment for him to realize it was real.
Any other day, seeing his mate cry in frustration made Erwin feel miserable. It was the cruelest and most painful sights in the world for it was rare his omega ever cried in vain. If Levi cried there was a motive and more often than not it was something bad. Erwin tried his best to not let it happen. Of course life had its funny ways of making you feel horrible, of making you feel completely helpless. And yet it also had its funny ways of giving you just as much as it had taken from you.
Seeing Levi cry now didn't make the alpha's heart clench painfully. They were happy tears those that fell down chubby pale cheeks and mirrored the ones on Erwin's own face. They were hopeful tears even though it felt like they were being part of a dream. It felt surreal and Erwin had half a mind to pinch the two of them but he didn't want to ruin the moment.
His mind was not capable of imagining this.
Erwin had dreamt a lot of times about having a family, of a beautifully pregnant Levi, of toddlers running around a green big garden filled with jasmines and roses, and yet he had never once dreamt about the finding out, of the very beginning of their dream.
"Oh my…"
"Love," I whispered hoarsely.
Levi shook his head. "I can't believe it"
"It's happening, Lee. You're pregnant." Erwin couldn't keep the excitement away from bursting through every seam. The omega let out a shaky sob and he was there immediately hugging him for dear life, crying with him. "You're carrying our pup, love."
He felt more than saw Levi's little smile on the side of his neck, the sweet scent of peaches and vanilla permeating Erwin's existence with love and comfort. With more excitement for the future with his beloved Levi.