Chapter Text
“Um...where are your books about...um…”
The young boy mumbled something that Armin didn’t quite catch. The boy was young, no older than 10, and his eyes were brimmed with tears.
Armin kneeled down to match the boy’s height, although Armin was not much taller.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch the last part,” Armin gave the boy a comforting grin.
The boy looked down at his shoes and took a deep breath. “Books about being an Omega.”
Omega.
That word had followed him around since he was a child and it appeared it would now follow this young boy as well. Armin kept his smile steady, being very mindful not to appear judging, and led the boy to a very small section in the back of the library, next to the large print encyclopedias.
Armin pulled a dusty book from the shelf, An Omega’s Guide to Living an Independent Life, and handed it to the boy. “This book helped me when I was diagnosed.”
The boy’s face lit up as his cheeks turned vibrant red. He looked like he wanted to say something but instead he turned on his heels and raced towards the check-out desk. Armin knew the boy’s new identity would be held safe with Hange, who was the only other librarian there.
Armin waited, giving the boy space to complete the checkout, and then made his way up to the front. He watched as lights flickered off above him, leave just a desk lamp near the computer that Hange was currently typing on.
“Been a long time since that book got some loving,” Hange said without looking up.
Armin shrugged and helped shelf the last few books that had been returned. It had been a slow night, and if it wasn’t for the encounter with the boy, he would have had to keep dreading his upcoming date. He had a good five minutes of wandering through his memories of his younger days as an Omega when he heard Hange’s singsong voice echoing through the halls.
“All finished!” They called out. “Time to make you presentable!”
Armin sighed. He knew he got himself into this mess when he agreed to go on a date with Hange’s friend. Truth was, he hadn’t been on a date since he had been dumped by his college boyfriend and he wasn’t sure if he was ready.
Yet Hange, as much as he loved them, reminded him every shift that since he had been single for two years, this meant he hadn’t tried very hard for two years.
“Trust me, Armin, with your innocent look, I’m surprised you haven’t been wined and dined by every Alpha on your block,” Hange said as they sprayed some dry shampoo in his hair in the library bathroom. “Hell, I’ve even thought about it and I don’t care about how you smell.”
Armin rolled his eyes but appreciated having a Beta for a friend. Sure, he had managed friendships with Alphas. Example being Eren Jaeger, his oldest and dearest friend, who tended to avoid him one week a month to secure the boundaries they have established. He also got along with other Omegas as long as they didn’t have a ‘traditional’ mindset.
“There, picture perfect!” Hange exclaimed. “He is going to eat you up!”
Armin half hardheartedly smirked but just wasn’t feeling up to it. They only other Omegas he knew in this city still believed in the old ways and tsked the fact he was on medication. He just couldn’t swallow the idea of having been born just to satisfy someone else. He had known so many bright young Omegas when he started college that had already dropped out and started families. Armin felt sick just thinking about losing all he had worked for. So, instead, he took a pill every day, was almost finished with his master’s program, and tended to spend too much money on overpriced coffee.
But Armin figured he would give it a shot. What is the worst that could happen?
***
“If you ever decide to mate, you know where to find me.”
“Thanks, I’ll take that into consideration.”
With that, Armin shut his apartment door and and vowed to never see whats-his-face again...Reiner, was it? Throwing his keys on his entrance table and neatly taking off his shoes, he wrote this night off as a disappoint.
The entire night was spent listening to the great loof talk about his college football experience and how many ‘pretty little omegas’ he had captured. Armin was not impressed and made that known by rolling his eyes and refusing to say anything more than one word responses until he took him home. Poor Hange’s heart was going to break when he told the story on Monday.
A loud bark from his kitchen let him know that Murphy was awake. A beagle came slopping out to greet her friend.
“I’m so happy to see you!” Armin sighed as he picked up the excited pup. “You have no idea how bad it was. He didn’t even pay for my drink.”
The dog whined and Armin left a small peck on her nose. Letting her down, Armin made a beeline to his room to change. Before dressing into an old hoodie, he looked at his attire and laughed. They must have looked like a strange couple at the bar. Reiner had worn a pair of jeans and a sports tee while Armin wore simple slacks and a yellow sweater with a brown vest.
“No wonder the bartender kept asking if I was ok,” Armin shook his head as he changed.
Sporting a hoodie he got from an event at the library (Reading IS Fun! written in bright letters across the chest) and a pair of plaid pj pants, he smiled at himself in the mirror. He was much more comfortable like this anyway. Being an Omega, he knew that he was inclined towards comfort. Might as well play out his part.
Back out to the living room, he settled down on the couch with a bottle a wine and a bad romance movie. Murphy curled herself on Armin’s lap and quickly dozed off before the opening credits ended.
“So looks like it is just me tonight?” Armin asked and Murphy snored in response. “Just like any other Friday night.”
Armin knew he was an Omega since his first heat when he was 11 but no one was surprised. With his gentle spirit and inclination to empathize with every person, his mother had prepared him early on in life. When his first heat happened, she was ready to start him on medication. The little pill he took daily was enough to suppress any ridiculous instincts that came with being an Omega as almost all of the side effects of his heats but it couldn’t take away the effect he had on others.
During his high school years, he was bullied or hunted, depending on the time of the month. The pills did not control his scent as well as he hoped and on too many occasions he was proposed too while walking home from a football game.
As the movie shifted into its first big musical number about love, he felt his phone vibrate. Across the screen the name ‘Eren’ flashed. His clock read 12:34, which meant his friend had managed to get off of work early.
“Hello?” Armin answered.
“I’m outside your door,” Eren’s voice was thick with disappointed. “I know you have a full bottle. Don’t be greedy.”
“Murphy is on my lap,” Armin teased, looking down at the slumbering beauty. “We may need to reschedule.”
The line went dead and he heard the door handle jiggle open. Eren must have found his spare key. Failing to say hi, Eren flopped on the opposite end of the couch and held out his hand for the bottle.
“Nice to see you too,” Armin grinned and handled the bottle of wine over without complaint. Eren took a swig, grimaced, and gave it back.
“What is that crap?”
Before Armin could explain that this was a full bodied red wine that had just won first place in their city’s wine festival, Eren was already complaining about the customers he had to deal with at the hotel bar he worked at. When the movie ended, Eren was still complaining.
“I swear, this jackass didn’t even bother taking out the picture of his husband and kids as he paid for his drinks. Not only that, but as he wrapped his arm around this poor girl’s waist, he told me they could always use an Alpha if I were interested.”
Murphy growled in her sleep, letting Eren know that he was getting too loud.
“What did you say?” Armin asked, taking the last drink from the bottle.
Eren scoffed. “I told them to fuck off!”
Aggressive, proud, and determined tended to be the three words people usually used to describe Eren. Armin found this as a positive as he knew if he ever had a problem, Eren was always there to save the day. Even if saving the day made it worse.
“Shit, Armin, I completely forgot you had a date tonight!” Eren apologized and turned to face Armin.
“Don’t worry about it,” Armin sighed. “It was a disaster. I don’t even know why I went. I’m just not ready yet, I guess.”
Eren frowned and crossed his arms. Armin knew the rant that was about to happen and immediately wished he hadn’t said anything.
“This isn’t about that jerk, is it?” Eren huffed. “Armin, he has been gone for years and never once deserved any bit of this ‘I’m not ready’ shit. If you want to get out there and have some fun, then do it. Don’t make him a reason you don’t.”
Armin wasn’t sure if he wanted to go out there and have fun. He was comfortable where he was. He knew he had a stable job, he was happy spending his nights studying, and he had Murphy to keep him company. What did he need an Alpha for? And why did it have to be an Alpha? Couldn’t he be perfectly happy with anyone, if he wanted someone?
Those thoughts eventually drew him into a dreamless sleep until the early hours when Murphy woke him up. Murphy was at least considerate enough to not bark as Eren had also fallen asleep, his arms still crossed and one leg tangled between his own.
“Alright, girl, let’s go,” Armin groaned and tried to ignore the wine headache he had. He gently unwrapped his legs from his friend’s and changed Murphy out of her ‘I’m a Pupsicle’ night shirt to a doggie sweater.
The crisp Autumn air chilled the tip of his nose and he was thankful he had put Murphy in her sweater before they headed out. As usual, she was being picky on where she wanted to do her business so Armin let his line of vision wonder. There wasn’t much happening in the world in October at 4am and he was about to check his phone when he heard his apartment complex door open.
An Omega appeared, heavily pregnant and holding a small bag. Right behind him ran another man, frantically checking himself as if he was looking for something. The Omega smiled and held up a pair a car keys. The other man’s shoulders fell in relief and his hand gravitated to the Omega’s stomach as they hurried to the parking garage on the next block.
“Huh,” Armin said aloud. “I think they are about to be parents.”
Murphy whined, and Armin looked down to see that she had finished and just wanted to go back inside. Armin didn’t seem to want to move as he watched the couple disappear into the parking garage.
Murphy tugged at her leash until Armin’s legs carried him back inside, yet his thoughts stayed with the couple. They didn’t seem scared, maybe panicked, but not scared. As he put the lease back on the hook and let Murphy race back to the living room, Armin wondered if that would ever be him. At one point in his life he thought he would have had the whole Omega dream: a nice little house, a beautiful Alpha who cared for him, and a child to care for.
Who was he kidding. He was already looking at his PhD program for next year and his apartment only had one bedroom. Plus, you need two to tango. He was happy at the library. He was happy with quiet nights. He was happy alone. He was simply happy.
To make sure he remained happy, he took his pill as he did everyday after Murphy’s morning outing. As Armin took out his pill case, he saw that he was out. He nervously searched his cabinet until he found the new pack. Smiling, he took a pill and made his way to his bedroom. Eren could see himself out as it. It was Saturday and Armin had a date with his bed.