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The first thing Eren thought about when he woke up was that he’d be happier if he didn’t wake up in the first place.
His head was pounding, and his throat was burning up. He couldn’t even breathe properly due to his nose being so stuffed. He groans, curling in on himself. This is the worst.
He knows he has to get up for his classes but just the image of having to move made him feel even more sick than he already was. But alas, he can’t afford to miss them, not as an omega that is.
Eren’s always wanted to be a doctor, ever since he was little. The problem was that omegas weren’t doctors, that was a job for an alpha or a beta, not an omega. That wasn’t going to stop Eren though. Despite everyone’s expectations, he got into med school, but the classes were tough. What was tougher, though, was everyone except his friends wanted him to fail, including his professors. That’s why he couldn’t afford to miss class.
But… staying in bed just sounds so good, just for a few minutes longer. It’s fine. He could just… rest his eyes for a little bit. He’d get up in a few minutes.
Eren gets woken up by a loud pounding on his door. He groans and squeezes his eyes tightly. He still feels like death.
The pounding gets more persistent. With a loud sigh, Eren gets up from his bed. He makes his way to the front door slowly, cringing in pain at every move he makes.
Eren opens the door to see what he can only assume is an angry Jean, judging by that scowl on his face.
“What?” Eren sighs.
The alpha blinks. “Well, you look terrible.”
“Thanks,” Eren gives him a sarcastic smile, “did you come here just to insult me or?”
That seems to snap Jean out of it. “You didn’t come to class today.”
“Oh, shit! Did I sleep through it?” Eren groans. He’s screwed if he missed his classes!
“I guess so,” Jean says, eyeing Eren suspiciously, “are you okay?”
“Never better,” Eren mumbles.
Jean reaches out his hand to touch Eren’s forehead.
“What the—?! Don’t touch me!” Eren screeches as he pulls away.
“Geez, Eren, you’re burning up,” Jean frowns, then he pauses, “are you going into a heat?”
“You can’t just ask me that!” Eren splutters, “but no, I’m not. I guess I’m just a little sick.”
“A little sick? Look at you, you look terrible! You’re not a little sick, you’re ill!” Jean’s frown deepens as he looks over Eren.
“Whatever,” Eren says, rolling his eyes, “thanks for waking me up, I guess, but I gotta go get ready for my next class.”
“No, you’re not,” Jean simply states.
“The fuck you mean I’m not?” Eren frowns.
“You’re not going anywhere. You need to rest,” Jean says, and he is completely serious. His expression says it all; he’s not letting Eren leave his apartment.
“You’re not the boss of me!” Eren says, clearly getting agitated.
“Maybe. But I’m your friend which means it’s my job to look out for you,” Jean says, crossing his arms over his chest, “you’re not going anywhere in this state.”
“You can’t tell me what to do!” Eren yells. There is no way he’s letting the arrogant alpha boss him around.
“I can and I will,” Jean says. He takes a step towards Eren, making him take a step back. He takes that opportunity to stop inside Eren’s apartment and close the door behind him. “Don’t make me command you, Eren.”
Eren blinks. “You wouldn’t,” he says incredulously.
“Try me.”
Eren knows Jean isn’t bluffing. The alpha has always been serious about Eren’s safety for some fucking reason.
“Now, go back to your bed. I’ll call Armin to bring over some food and meds. I don’t trust you enough to leave you alone right now. You’d do something stupid like leave the apartment,” Jean says calmly.
“I’m not listening to you! You’re not my alpha!” Eren yells.
This is simply unacceptable! Jean and he are friends, yes, but this is crossing a boundary!
“Don’t test me, Eren,” Jean says threateningly, “now, be a good boy and go to your bed.”
Eren doesn’t wait for anything else, and he swings his fist at Jean’s face. The alpha fucker, however, catches his fist midair.
Jean growls at him, his canines showing. Eren’s stupid omega brain responds by shrinking and showing his neck in submission, which he mentally slaps himself for.
Jean sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Look, Eren. I’m sorry, but I can’t let you leave your apartment like this. You’re an omega weakened by that illness. You know what it’s like walking outside without protection. Can you imagine what it would be like in your state?”
Eren pouts and looks away.
“I just… don’t want to see you hurt, that’s all,” Jean says gently, hoping Eren would see reason now.
“I still can’t afford to miss my classes and you know that. I want to become a—“
“A doctor, I know,” Jean says, “we’ll get you a doctor’s note or something, just, please, Eren. Please, stay home.”
Eren blinks. Jean never says please. At least not to him. They’ve always had sort of an unspoken rivalry between them.
Eren wants to ignore Jean’s pleas, he wants to go to his class to prove everyone he can do this, but he knows Jean is right. He can’t afford to go out like this. They live in a fucked up world, it would be so easy for some alpha to take advantage of his weakened state.
“Fine,” Eren mumbles eventually.
“Thank you,” Jean lets out a sigh of relief, “now can you please go lie down? You look like you’re gonna fall any second now and I don’t wanna have to drag your ass to bed.”
Eren rolls his eyes but listens anyway. He makes his way back to bed and plops down, curling under the sheets.
Lying down and not having to argue with the alpha anymore, it hits him just how badly he’s feeling. He’s so cold. It feels like someone poured melted lava down his throat and his head is pounding.
Moments later, Jean pops his head into Eren’s room.
“Armin is on his way with some meds and food,” he announces.
Eren can only groan in response, he’s really feeling terrible.
The bed dips as Jean sits next to him. Eren slowly opens his eyes to look at the alpha who looks down at him with a serious expression.
Eren can smell Jean’s distress. It’s kind of adorable, him being so worried.
“What?” Eren asks, “you’re staring.”
“Nothing,” Jean blushes and looks away. He clears his throat and places his hand over Eren’s forehead. A frown quickly finds its way on his face. “You’re really hot, Eren.”
“Thanks, I know,” Eren grins.
“Oh, shut up! You know what I mean,” Jean rolls his eyes.
“Do I though?”
Their bickering is interrupted by a knock on the front door.
Jean gets up to get it. Eren can soon hear Armin talking with Jean, but he doesn’t really pay attention to what they’re saying. Soon, he hears the front door close and Jean walks back into Eren’s room with a bag of meds.
He promptly takes Eren’s temperature and immediately frowns.
“No wonder you’re burning up, you have a fever,” he says, concern showing on his face.
Jean shuffles around in the bag for some meds that would bring Eren’s fever down.
“Here, take this.”
He hands him a big white pill and a glass of water to swallow it down. Eren obeys without question. The water feels like heaven for his sore throat, and he gulps it down hungrily.
Jean also gives him some meds for his sore throat and stuffy nose and then leaves his bedroom to go cook something with the ingredients Armin brought. Eren decides to close his eyes for a second just to rest them. He feels so weak and tired, as if his body got ran over by a truck.
He must’ve fallen asleep again because he gets woken up by Jean’s hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him awake.
“I made you soup,” the alpha says gently.
Eren rubs his eyes sleepily and sits up on the bed. “Thanks,” he mumbles.
Jean carefully hands him the soup. “Want me to feed you?”
It’s a joke. At least, that’s what Eren thinks. It has to be a joke, right?
“I’m not that weak,” Eren rolls his eyes. He takes a sip of the soup and moan. “What the fuck, Kirstein? That’s delicious! Where did you learn how to cook?”
“My mom,” Jean says shyly, his face flushed.
Cute, Eren thinks and then he immediately mentally slaps himself. No! Not cute! Jean Kirstein is anything but cute!
Eren finishes the soup rather quickly and hums happily. A low rumbling sound escapes his chest, and he realizes he just purred! He flushes with embarrassment, hoping Jean didn’t hear that.
His omega is going absolutely crazy. Having a big strong alpha in his space was driving him into overdrive on its own, but having a big strong alpha take care of him and cook for him? Eren doesn’t know if he can keep his sanity like this.
“You feeling any better?” Jean asks, snapping Eren out of his thoughts.
“Um, yeah,” Eren mumbles, “thanks for the soup. And for… you know, being here,” he says. his face flushed with embarrassment.
“Anytime,” Jean responds with a small smile.
“Why are you doing this?” Eren asks curiously.
“Doing what?” Jean tilts his head to the side.
“This. Taking care of me. You’re not my alpha.”
There it is, that sentence again. He doesn’t know why he keeps saying it. It is true, but, well… maybe he wishes it wasn’t.
Jean shrugs. “You’d do the same for me.”
He leaves Eren’s room after that, going back to the living room area to let Eren rest.
Eren spends some time just staring at the ceiling, thinking. It’s nice having Jean over, he could vet used to this. Besides, his apartment’s just so empty without an alpha in it and—
No! Eren’s stupid omega is acting up again. Must be his fever-ridden brain, making his omega needier than usual.
The thing is, Eren knows he’s lonely. He knows he wants an alpha. It’s so stupid. Most of his friends are all bonded. He’s happy for them, he really is, but at the same time it makes his heart ache.
But at the same time, Eren is stubborn, and he refuses to bow down to anyone, let alone an alpha. No, he wants an alpha who would respect him and challenge him, but also be able to take care of him. Someone like Jean.
Stop it! Eren mentally yells at his fever-ridden brain. Yes, that must be it. It’s just the fever combined with his pre-heat omega being needy.
He decides it is time to sleep again, not wanting to think any further.
Eren wakes up in the middle of the night and sprints to the bathroom. His stomach turns and before he can do anything to stop it, he’s throwing up all over the toilet.
He feels a hand grab his hair, pulling it out of his face and rubbing his back in a soothing motion. Jean. He stayed.
“Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart,” Jean whispers reassuringly, “let it out.”
Eren doesn’t even notice the pet name, too preoccupied with vomiting. He empties out the contents of his stomach down the toilet bowl. Once his body finally stops gagging, he leans his back on the bathtub and closes his eyes.
The terrible smell of vomit is soon replaced by the most delicious scent Eren ever got to smell. A mix of apple pie and honey and home fills the bathroom as Jean rubs Eren’s back soothingly. Eren soon realizes it’s Jean, more precisely Jean’s calming pheromones. It makes Eren’s body immediately relax.
“You go lie down, okay sweetheart? I’ll clean it up here and be right there,” Jean says gently.
Eren finds himself nodding and he shuffles back to his room. He curls on the bed to a little ball. The bed suddenly feels empty, and he whines. He wants that delicious scent back. He wants Jean.
He doesn’t wait for long because the alpha soon returns with a glass of water.
“Here, drink this. Slowly.” He offers Eren the glass who happily takes it. He takes a few sips before handing the glass back to the alpha.
Eren takes a deep breath and relaxes even more. Jean’s scent is intoxicating, and he never wants to be without it again.
“You gonna be okay in here?” Jean asks gently as he gets up to leave.
“No!” Eren quickly stops him by reaching out his hand. “Stay.”
Jean blinks but doesn’t protest. He carefully climbs into Eren’s bed.
Eren immediately wraps his arms around the alpha and buries his head in his neck, right where Jean’s scent gland is. Jean freezes.
“Eren,” he says softly.
“Alpha,” Eren mumbles and breathes in deeply. He has to resist the urge to lick the skin.
“You’re delirious,” Jean says.
Eren shakes his head. “No, mine. My alpha.”
Jean inhales sharply. He tightens his grip around Eren’s shoulder.
“You can’t say things like that, Eren,” Jean says, trying to sound strict, but his voice shakes like a leaf in the wind.
Eren, as it seems, doesn’t care. He holds on to Jean just a little bit tighter and mumbles a quiet “mine.”
Jean sighs as he runs a hand through Eren’s hair. “You have no idea what you do to me, Jaeger.”
Eren dozes off again, his omega purring in content.
When he wakes up in the morning, he’s still cuddled up to Jean who’s looking at him with an unreadable expression.
“Did you mean that?” Jean asks quietly.
“Wha…?” Eren mumbles sleepily. Then, the events of last night hit him like a ton of bricks and suddenly, he’s very awake.
“Did you mean that?” Jean repeats himself.
“I- I don’t—“ Eren splutters as he tries to push himself away from Jean who only grips him tighter in response.
“Answer me, Eren. Did you mean that?” Jean asks again.
Eren needs to get away. Now. He can’t admit his feelings for Jean, he just can’t! He knows Jean doesn’t feel the same way and he doesn’t want to ruin their friendship. Although, it might be too late for that.
“…yes,” Eren whispers eventually, feeling defeated, “and I understand if you hate me now.”
“Hate you?” Jean blinks, “why would I hate you?”
Eren scoffs as he tries to pull away from Jean again, but the alpha still doesn’t let him. “Because you don’t feel the same way.”
“Eren, are you actually stupid?” Jean deadpans.
“What?” Eren asks, feeling slightly hurt.
“I love you, you idiot. I always have,” Jean confesses, a look of tenderness on his face as he stares at Eren.
“Y-you do?” Eren blinks.
“Yes! You’re my omega. From the moment I saw you I knew you were mine,” Jean breathes out, his eyes a little teary.
“Why did you never say anything?” Eren shakes his head. He can’t believe what he’s hearing. This can’t be real.
“I thought it was pretty obvious,” Jean snickers, and he is right.
It was obvious. From the way Jean stared at Eren to the way he always protected him. Eren was just an idiot, apparently.
“Bite me,” Eren says suddenly.
“Huh?!” Jean splutters. There’s no way he heard that correctly, right?
“Bite me. Make me yours,” Eren whispers.
“Eren, you can’t be serious right now,” Jean shakes his head and sits up on the bed. Eren sits up with him.
“I am serious, Jean. I… I want to be yours,” Eren says, his voice firm.
“And this is not just your fever talking, right? You’re sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure, Jean. I have been for a while. I was just… too scared to admit it,” Eren says shyly, blush spreading across his face.
“Okay,” Jean breathes out.
“Okay?”
“Okay,” he nods, “you’re my omega. You always have been.”
Eren smiles. He moves his long hair aside from his neck, giving Jean access to it. He takes a deep breath.
The short moment of pain before the mating hormones fill his brain are excruciating and he whines. Jean, his alpha, his alpha, gives a low rumble, slowly releasing his teeth from Eren’s neck. He darts out his tongue, licking at the blood and sending Eren’s brain into an overdrive.
As the mating hormones flood Eren’s brain, he starts purring. He’s never felt safer and more at home than in this moment.
His alpha sneaks an arm around him, pulling him close.
“Mine,” Jean rumbles, sending shivers down Eren’s spine and Eren purrs.
Despite his illness, he feels fantastic. He has his alpha by his side. Everything finally clicks into place.