The sun was preparing to sink into the horizon, gradually disappearing behind the distant trees. The air was still save for the odd breeze that rolled over the field and made the daisies dance, their white petals swaying on slender stems. Thin fingers ran along a blade of grass; the texture was smooth despite the fuzziness.

Wings of ocean-blue move closer, the rich colour that represented affection and happiness now an omen of despair. 'It 's time to go back. '

Armin looked up from where he sat on the grass, blonde strands of hair falling to the side as he met the alpha 's eyes. 'Just a little bit longer, ' He whispered, desperate. 'Please? '

Erwin sighed to himself. It was impossible to deny the omega 's requests, especially in regard to this. 'Very well. ' Inspecting the dispirited fairy, Erwin entertained the thought of scooping him up and attempting to console him, but he kept a respectable distance instead. Armin had already expressed his desire to sit alone. While it was somewhat disappointing that the omega hadn 't turned to him for comfort, he understood that Armin 's mind was elsewhere. 'But we must leave soon, before the sun gets too low. '

Icy blue wings fluttered, the glassy surface reflecting a subtle pink. 'I know ' thanks, ' Armin said as his fingers glided along the grass, eyes shifting back to the warming sky. The sunset was going to be beautiful, he thought. With the dampness of rain in the air to scatter the light, the burning orange would glow like heated iron.

He watched it as time went by, fearful of another night passing.

'Armin. '

The alert tone gained Armin 's attention, blue eyes shifted back to find Erwin staring straight over his head. Turning to look behind him, the omega gasped at the sight of green wings fluttering in the sky. 'Eren! ' Armin shouted as he scrambled to his feet, bouncing on the spot as he raised his arms and tried to get the brunet 's attention. 'Down here! ' He watched as Eren begun swinging his arm in the air, waving hello. The grand gesture was silly and cheerful, as if he hadn 't been missing or presumed dead. Armin felt a pang in his chest, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

Eren smiled as he descended from the sky, glad to see that his friend had been waiting for him. The journey had taken longer than he remembered, perhaps due to the rumbling that had started in his stomach along the way. In hindsight, he really should have taken up the offer of breakfast before departing. Boots touched down on the ground, the gust from Eren 's wings blowing the surrounding grass as he found balance. Turquoise eye looked ahead, seeing the blonde omega running towards him with the grace of a new-born foal.

'Eren! ' Armin cried, followed by a joyous trill as he flung his arms around the brunet.

The sudden impact to his chest made Eren stumble backwards, viridian wings flapping to prevent them for falling over as he returned the tender embrace. Peeking over Armin 's shoulder, he watched the taller blonde approach with much more elegance. 'Commander Erwin, ' Eren said, greeting him with a smile. 'No offense, but I was expecting a larger search party. '

'None taken, ' Erwin replied, coming to a stop near the pair of omegas. 'We had several groups looking for you in the morning, but it was called off as we didn 't know which direction you might 've gone in. ' His eyes flicked to blonde for a moment, then returned to Eren. 'Armin insisted on staying here in case you managed to find your way back, clearly he had the ' right idea, ' Erwin finished with a grimace, nose scrunching up as if he 'd just bitten into a lemon.

'Oh god ' ' Armin whispered into Eren 's shoulder. Gingerly retracting his arms, he took a step a back and looked to the alpha. 'Go ahead. We need a moment. '

Baffled green eyes watched as Erwin obeyed without question, not saying a word as he promptly took off on regal sapphire wings. Armin was wearing a strange expression. An awkward blend of panic and sympathy, and his face looked a shade paler too. Hopefully Armin wasn 't about to tell him off, Eren didn 't feel like being scolded for his carelessness right now. Surely the lecture could wait until after he 'd had dinner and a nap.

'Eren, what happened? ' Armin 's voice was gentle and calm, but his glassy wings fidgeted with anxiety. 'Are you ' are you okay? '

'Yeah, can 't you see that? ' Eren replied, holding his arms out to show the blonde that he 'd suffered no injuries. Armin was overreacting a bit, he was obviously well enough to fly. Oddly, the blonde 's scent remained alarmed despite Eren 's assurances.

'You can tell me if ' something happened, you know? ' Armin said slowly, taking care with the words.

The brunet 's head tilted with confusion. It seemed like there was a purpose for these questions, a specific concern. 'What are you talking about? '

'Eren. ' Armin 's tone went quiet, carrying an air of seriousness. Pale blue eyes dropped down to the grass. 'It 's obvious that someone has scent-marked you, an alpha. So ' just tell me, please. '

Brown eyebrows pinched together. Eren didn 't remember anything like that happening, and he was certain that they hadn 't touched their necks together. They hadn 't touched much at all, really, except for when he 'd felt Levi 's face, and also during their goodbye... It must be his hair, Eren thought. The alpha 's fervent nuzzling had been a little suspicious. He sighed, Levi was still managing to cause trouble despite the distance between them.

'Did they do anything to you? ' Armin asked. 'Did they ' hurt you? '

'No! ' His hands raised in defense. 'He helped me, ' Eren said. 'I got lost and it was going to rain, he took me somewhere safe, probably saved my life. ' Fingers ran through his hair as he sniffed, detecting Levi 's unmistakable scent that stubbornly clung to the brown strands. Eren was surprised by the strength of it, how hadn 't he noticed earlier? He looked back to Armin. 'We, um ' hugged, it must be from that. It might 've been an accident, I 'm not sure. '

'A hug? ' Armin repeated quietly, eyes leaving the grass to meet turquoise again. Two hands raised and covered his face, smothering a sound caught between a groan and a sob.

'Armin? '

'I 'm sorry, ' Armin squeaked, the words muffled by his palms. 'You were gone overnight and came back with an alpha 's scent all over you, I thought he might 've ' ' Lowering his hands, the blonde shook his head to dispel the sickening thoughts. 'It doesn 't matter, that 's not what happened. Listen, I ' I didn 't mean to leave you yesterday. You just disappeared, we all thought that you 'd gotten bored and gone home. By the time I realised, it was too dark to go looking for you... ' Armin blinked tears out of his eye. 'I 'm so sorry. '

'It wasn 't your fault ' you didn 't know, it was just an accident. ' Eren placed a hand on the blonde 's shoulder, squeezing gently. 'We should get going before Erwin comes back to tell us off, ' He said. 'And I need to see my mother. I bet she was up all-night worrying. '

'She was, I was with her. ' Armin gave a weary smile, imagining how elated Carla was going to be. It had seemed like an endless night; the horrible storm further instilling the thought that Eren would never return. Carla had been inconsolable. The hand on his shoulder disappeared as the brunet made to take off. 'Wait, ' Armin said, icy wings fluttering behind him. 'Before you go home, you should try to wash that smell off. '

Eren stilled, turning his head to meet blue eyes again. 'Why? '

'I just think it 's a good idea, ' Armin replied.

'But nothing happened, I told you, ' Eren said, mildly irritated. He ran a hand through his hair again, the scent of wine becoming stronger due to the disturbance. 'Levi didn 't do anything wrong. There 's no reason for me to lie about what happened. '

'I 'm not suggesting that you lie, Eren. ' Armin sighed, his breath carried away by a light breeze. 'If Carla smells it, she 'll jump to conclusions and assume something awful. You can tell her everything that happened, about um ' Levi, if you want to. But the scent would just freak her out, she 's already distraught. '

Eren sucked on his cheek, considering the suggestion. It would be terrible if his mother thought that an alpha had abducted him for the night. It wasn 't entirely clear what Armin had assumed, but he 'd seemed to think Eren might 've been forced to do something against his will. In addition to causing needless worry, he didn 't want his mother to dislike Levi... else she might try to prevent them from seeing each other again. 'Yeah, you 're right. I don 't want her to get the wrong idea before I have a chance to explain. '

The pair of omegas took off, wings flapping in unison as the colour began to drain from the sky. Eren was glad to see scenery that he recognised, a sure sign that he would soon be home. He felt a little embarrassed for having gotten lost so easily, but at least his accidental excursion hadn 't been all bad.

A smile spread over Eren 's face as they approached the stream that ran along the outskirts of their forest, the light of the burning sunset reflecting off the transparent surface. Armin pointed at the water and descended towards to, delicately landing on a smooth rock that bordered the creek. Eren followed, his smile vanishing along the way.

'I 'll keep a look-out for frogs! ' Armin announced from atop his perch of stone, surveying the area for danger as Eren landed on the riverbank below.

Staring at the water, Eren decided that it appeared to be clean. It usually was in that area, but heavy rain and wind could disturb the sediment and push all sorts of unpleasant things into it. Taking a step closer to the trickling stream, Eren 's legs came to a sudden stop.

Generally, he had no problem with getting wet, but this time felt different. The crickets had stopped singing, replaced only by the loud rush of water, and the light gleaming off the surface wasn 't at all welcoming. It reflected back at him, the colour threatening despite its warmth ' this water wanted to wash Levi away.

'You okay? ' Armin called after a few seconds. He squinted down at the other fairy, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the dying sunlight. 'It 's not that cold. Just do it, it 'll be twilight soon. '

'Yeah ' right, ' Eren said, pushing aside his odd emotions as he stepped up to the streams edge. Sandy grains crunched as the brunet got down on his knees, moving fast to avoid thinking about it any further, and flopped forward as he dunked his head into the frigid water. Armin had lied, it was freezing. The cold prickled at Eren 's face, skin beginning to go numb as he vigorously scrubbed his hair, the strands floating in the water like a viscous chocolate cloud. Whipping out of the stream, sparkling droplets scattered through the air as Eren shook his head back and forth. 'Better? ' He asked, exhaling sharply to prevent water from entering his mouth.

The blonde chirped as he pushed off the rock, jumping down to land besides him. Armin tilted his head as he scented the air. 'I can still smell it ' but only just. It 's not so alarming now." Armin straightened up with a smile. 'It should be fine. '

Eren nodded. The strange uneasiness remained but he decided not to say anything, it was probably just the onset of exhaustion.

They both pushed off the riverbed with a crunch, kicking up dust as they returned to the sky. The sun had vanished now, becoming nothing but a thin orange ribbon that highlighted the edge of the horizon. It wasn 't an issue; entering the forest granted new light, strings of lanterns lining the branches of their territory. Flying at the back, Eren watched pale-blue wings flicker with iridescence as they passed by the hanging lamps, the warm glow bringing out a variety of pink and yellow hues.

While being able to see in the dark would be exceptionally useful, the burnet wouldn 't want the ability if colours were diminished. It was a shame that Levi and Isabel had to miss out on so much beauty. Eren wondered if they could still enjoy the rise and fall of the sun.

The pair soon reached Eren 's home, although it didn 't smell pleasant and welcoming like it normally did. It was stale, the tree smothered by a thick blanket of sorrow. Touching down on the bark, the brunet dashed inside the hollow with urgency, Armin following close behind.

'Mum? ' Eren called as he entered, turquoise eyes scanning the interior until he found a pair of bronze wings poking out of their bed. Unlike the one he had slept in last night, their nest was made of soft cotton and the fluff of dandelion seeds, courtesy of the plants that surrounded the forest.

'Eren? ' Carla squeaked. White fibres flew into the air as she abruptly sat up in the nest, turning to face the entrance. Puffy red eyes locked onto Eren with the focus of a hawk. 'Eren! My baby! ' She catapulted towards him with tremendous speed, the velocity startling both young omegas.

Arms wrapping around her son, Carla cooed lovingly and trilled with joy as she smothered Eren with her scent. The soothing fragrance of apricots. Her bottom lip quivered despite the sounds of happiness, grip tightening around Eren 's form. 'Are you okay, darling? I was so worried. I thought, I thought ' ' Carla sobbed, unable to finish the sentence. 'Oh, I 'm so happy to see you! Where have you been? Did you get lost? ' She nuzzled into chestnut hair, scent-marking him the best she could as Eren squirmed in her arms. 'Your hair is damp. And ' you smell strange, what is that? Were you caught in the rain? My poor baby ' '

Eren whined as the air was squished out of him, tilting his head back to escape the onslaught of tears and apricots. 'I 'm fine ' mum- ' He tried to suck in a breath. 'Please, you 're... crushing me ' ' The pleas were effective, and Eren heaved for oxygen as he was freed from the death-grip of motherly love. Carla was surprisingly strong for an omega, even considering the unique circumstances.

'Sorry ' I got a bit carried away," Carla said, using the back of her hand to wipe away the tears the clung to her eyelashes.

Armin touched her shoulder, smiling with reassurance. 'Don 't worry, it 's understandable. '

Now fully recovered, Eren cleared his throat before speaking. 'So, what happened is ' I fell into a hole, and I might 've hit my head or something, because I got confused about where I was and flew the wrong way. ' Turquoise eyes shifted to Armin, who appeared just as interested as his mother. 'I ended up at a forest, a different one. It got dark and I knew it was going to rain, which was admittedly pretty scary ' ' Eren sincerely hoped that he wouldn 't ever fear for his life like that again. Considering what to say, the brunet decided to skip the misunderstandings and get straight to the point. 'A fairy found me, and ' I guess he felt like helping me due to alpha instincts, or maybe out of kindness. He took me somewhere safe for the night, then he helped me find my way back this morning. ' Eren 's eyes flicked between their faces, trying to gauge the reaction to his story.

'You spent the night with an alpha? ' Carla asked, the shocked tone causing both pairs of eyes to settle on her. 'Is that ' is that what I smelt? His scent, on you? '

'Yes, ' Eren said, keeping his voice calm and steady as not to alarm her. 'But don 't think anything weird, okay? Nothing happened, everything is fine. '

But Carla was alarmed, bronze wings flapping with worry for her son. 'Eren, that was dangerous! He could have hurt you so easily! Are you sure he didn 't do anything? What about while you slept? '

'No! ' Eren objected immediately, frowning as his eyebrows scrunched up, appalled by what she was implying. 'Don 't even say things like that. Yes, I 'm certain. He was kind and gentle towards me. ' It was relieving to see Carla 's posture relax, reassured by the words and Eren 's sincerity. As the issue had already been resolved, he opted to leave out the growling incident. No harm had come from it. 'His name is Levi ' but he 's a bit strange, I guess. '

An intrigued chirp came from Armin. 'What do you mean by that? '

'He 's ' different, ' Eren said, figuring it was a nicest way to put it. 'He has flexible black wings, almost like leaves, with big red eyespots on them that light up. I met one of Levi 's friends, and they were similar to him. I couldn 't tell if her wings could glow or not, but I assume so. ' Isabel 's wings had brownish spots on them, so it was plausible that they could light up. Unless it was just an alpha trait, Eren had no idea. 'They can see in the dark, too. '

'Eren ' ' Carla said, uncertain. 'He sounds like some kind of monster. '

'He 's not, ' Eren replied, meeting her eyes directly. 'Levi 's the same as us, just a little bit different. '

Armin tucked a blonde strand behind his ear, humming thoughtfully at the information. 'I think he sounds interesting. Glowing wings ' I 'd love to see it for myself. '

'You can! ' Eren turned to him, eyes lighting up with excitement. 'I 'm going to visit him soon. It 's not that far, maybe you could come with me ' or I could bring him here, Levi would probably like to see how we live. '

'You want to go back? ' Carla asked. 'I don 't think that 's a good idea, Eren. '

Eren frowned, his gaze shifting back to her. He couldn 't understand his mother 's hesitance, it had already been established that Levi had treated him well. There was no need to be so cautious. 'I promised that I would. '

'Promises can be broken. I 've told you that danger doesn 't like to make itself known, not until it already has you in its grasps. If something happened, I wouldn 't be there to help you, I wouldn 't even ' ' She trailed off, sighing to herself in defeat. Carla had known that her son would eventually take interest in an alpha, but she still wasn 't prepared for it... and she certainly hadn 't expected it to a bizarre stranger from outside the colony. Even with the minimal amount of information she had about this Levi character, Carla was sure that the alpha had ulterior motives for helping her son. 'I know you 're not a child anymore, Eren. I doubt I 'd be able to stop you from going back. ' Honey-brown eyes searched Eren 's face for understanding, her voice taking on an a more serious tone. ' 'Just promise you 'll stay safe. Be aware of what 's going on, especially with outsiders. We don 't know how they do things, he might interpret your return as permission ' that alpha could pounce on you the second an opportunity arises, especially if no one is around to stop him. Don 't be too quick to trust. '

Permission? Green eyes blinked, wondering what she 'd meant by that. While Eren understood the point she was trying to make, he didn 't believe that such a thing could ever happen. Levi already had several opportunities to hurt him and hadn 't done anything ' so it was safe to assume that he wouldn 't the next time, right? Still, if it made her feel more inclined to let him go without argument. 'Got it. I promise to be careful. '

'Good, ' Carla said with a nod of approval. Passing on her wisdom was the least she could do. 'Okay, I need to go get some fresh water. I didn 't bother doing it yesterday. ' She smiled before heading outside, being carried away by fluttering wings of faded bronze.

Eren sighed loudly. If he wasn 't exhausted before, he certainly was now. With sudden curiosity, Eren ruffled his drying hair to see if Levi 's scent was still noticeable. He was somewhat disappointed to only detect his mother 's overpowering fragrance, as if someone had spread a thick layer of apricot jam all over him. Feeling agitated, Eren decided to test it with another nose. 'Armin, can you still smell him? '

'Huh? ' Blue eyes blinked over at the sound of his name, seeing that Eren was fiddling with his hair in obvious frustration. 'Oh, ' Armin giggled behind his hand, finding the brunet 's struggle quite amusing. 'Nope. But if you keep talking like that, I might start to think you liked having that alpha 's scent on you. '

'I just wanted to check, ' Eren defended himself. 'Stop projecting your fantasies onto me. '

Armin 's head tilted. 'What are you talking about? '

'You smell the same as usual, like yourself. ' A little smirk appeared on Eren 's face. 'I bet you 're just dying to have Erwin rub his scent all over you. '

'Eren! ' Armin squeaked, his face flushing a delightful shade of pink. A hand raised to conceal it, muffling a groan in the process. 'That 's so embarrassing ' '

The brunet snickered, pleased that he 'd made Armin blush so heavily.

Eren sucked on his cheek as the heel of his boot tapped repeatedly against the floor, the sound of wood cushioned by the grass mat. It was strange to think that he had been with Levi only a few hours ago, the alpha felt so far away now. Looking down at himself, Eren realised that he had been wearing the same clothes for two days. 'I 'm pretty tired from flying so far, ' He said, eyes shifting back to the blonde. 'I think I 'm going to have a huge dinner and sleep for half a day. '

'Alright. ' Blue wings fluttered as Armin examined his friend. A promising idea had popped into his head, but it seemed that now wasn 't the best time. 'I 'll head off, I 'm tired too. See you later. '

'Bye. ' Eren watched him exit the hollow and gracefully glide from the branch, taking note of the fact that Armin had flown in opposite direction to where he lived.

Immediately removing his boots, Eren groaned as his feet were finally freed from the constricting material. The necklace was next, unclasped and carefully placed with his other possessions.

Eren inspected the shelves of woven containers near the back of the hollow and was pleased to discover several pieces of spiced fruit, presumably left over from the last time Carla made a batch. A chunk was popped into his mouth, the tangy flavour of raspberry and cinnamon making him hum in appreciation.

There didn 't seem to be much else, but it would be sufficient. Fairies generally only ate fruit as the high sugar content provided energy for flight, but they occasionally cooked other things for the sake of variety. Eren loved his mother 's vegetable soup, she simply added whatever was in season along with a wonderful combination of herbs.

Once he had eaten enough and changed into looser clothes, Eren crawled into the nest like a wounded soldier and snuggled into the soft cloud of cotton. He shared it with his mother, but that was common practice. It took a fair amount of effort to harvest enough materials to make a bed, and their one had more than enough space for three. Turquoise eyes drifted shut, and Eren was quickly claimed by the welcoming embrace of sleep.

Eren 's chin rested atop the side of the nest as he peered over the edge with half-lidded eyes, not looking at anything in particular. Just the empty floor. Carla could be heard moving around the hollow, cleaning again, although Eren couldn't determine whether it was out of worry or necessity.

Four days had passed since he returned home, and the brunet 's life had been much of the same. He had spent time with the other fairies from his year, who had been told of his disappearance and were eager to hear all the details.

Thankfully, Eren 's mother had made no real effort to keep him hidden away from the world, so the omega had been able to go out and visit his usual destinations, namely the meadow and cascading waterfall. He and Armin had even gone back to explore the stream some more, where they 'd met a charming dragonfly, the flittery creature had been curious about its fairy visitors and allowed them to inspect it closely. The dark metallic green had been pretty, but Eren much preferred the brighter insects.

Sighing, the burnet wrapped a loose strand of cotton around his index finger. It all seemed quite dull when compared to his recent adventure. The good news was that it was nearing the middle of spring, which meant that there would be a batch of little fairies joining the colony soon. Eren had always enjoyed meeting the new babies, young skin glowing with life, and their tiny developing wings were nothing short of adorable. The younger omegas occasionally helped care for them, which was a prospect that the brunet found exciting despite his fears of accidentally mishandling one.

Eren wasn 't completely na 've about the production of babies, he knew that certain events had to occur for a new fairy to be created. Carla had attempted to explain it shortly after Eren presented, but it had been vague at best and basically amounted to

you 'll know when the time comes

. It wasn 't very insightful. Lucky, the brunet 's natural curiosity also made him observant of others.

The omegas always vanished for a week or so during the summer, hiding away in the seclusion of their hollows, usually accompanied by their mate. It evidently required a pair of fairies, as the ones that disappeared on their own were never successful. The process must be labour-intensive, Eren had deduced, as both parties seemed exhausted and often in poor condition by the time they emerged again. A few of the omegas then huddled away at the end of winter, resulting in the arrival of new life during the spring.

While thinking, his tan fingers tried to wiggle out of the cotton web they had gotten tangled in. What would Levi be doing at the moment? A common thought recently. It seemed that Levi preferred to sleep during the day ' but even so, Eren concluded that the alpha would still be working to replace all the grass he 'd tossed to the forest floor. A soft giggle came from the nest as the brunet managed to untangle his hand.

Eren rolled onto his back and stared at the wooden ceiling, green eyes tracing the growth rings within the tree. Although it was tempting to go visit Levi soon, the omega wasn 't sure how to go about it. Should he just ' show up? It felt a bit rude to just arrive at someone 's home without giving notice, but he couldn 't think of any other option. 'Could he even remember the way to Levi 's nest? Eren was doubtful ' but the alpha had somehow managed to track him down the first time, so he wasn 't too concerned about getting lost.

A gust of wind came through the hollow, and Eren 's eyes followed a stray piece of dandelion fluff as it took to the air and slowly floated away. Propping himself up in the nest, he saw that it had been Armin arriving.

'Morning Eren. ' Armin smiled, gaze shifting over to the bronze-winged fairy across the room. 'Carla. ' Blue eyes moved back to Eren. 'Ready to go? '

'Yeap! ' Eren jumped off the mound of cotton, dishevelling the material with his hasty movements. It couldn 't be helped. The brunet excited and hopeful, although he tried to rein in his expectations. There was a good chance of coming back disappointed. Eren pulled on his boots as he hopped towards the opening, emerald wings flapping to balance himself as he wobbled on one leg.

Meeting Armin on the branch outside, Eren was pleased that the weather was bright and sunny. Golden rays instantly warmed his skin as he stepped out of the hollow, bathing the forest canopy with radiant light. The air carried the distinct fragrance of spring, fresh and floral.

They pushed off the bark together, wings spreading out as they flew side-by-side. Gliding among the leaves, Eren watched fairies going about their morning routines, most of them carrying woven containers to collect water and fruit. He recognised the majority of them, but there were some that weren 't familiar.

Their destination wasn 't far, an intricately decorated tree soon came into view. Turquoise eyes flittered over the sight, admiring the vast number of shiny trinkets that dangled from the branches around the hollow. They appeared to be made of gemstones, the cut surfaces glinting in the sunlight, held together by woven grass and a variety of other materials. The bright colours hung down to dance among the foliage, gently clinking together like a collection of symphonic wind-chimes. Armin 's affinity for decorating must run in the family.

Eren landed outside the entrance with a soft thud, less graceful than usual due to the shimmering distractions. The display was quite beautiful ' Eren thought that perhaps he should invest more time into making ornaments. He had no interest in the activity thus far, but he could definitely see the appeal of having a nicely decorated tree. Chestnut hair ruffled as Armin landed next to him, the blonde heading straight into the hollow.

Following him inside, Eren realised that it must have been some time since he 'd last visited Armin 's grandfather. The interior was just as cluttered as the outside, although these items looked much older, maybe even antique. A peculiar scent hit his nose, musty and floral, but largely overridden by the smell of burning smoke.

'Good morning. ' The voice came from the corner of the hollow, raspy from decades of use but still gentle.

'Morning Papa, ' Armin replied fondly. 'I hope you 're not busy. '

'I always have time for you two, ' He replied, getting up from his seat as light-brown eyes examined the two young men. 'My, how beautiful you 've both become. The gold on your wings is splendid Eren, I might have to hang you on my tree next. '

Eren chuckled lightly, inspecting the old fairy in return. His wings were a faded beige that was almost white, the colours lost to time, but the sheer appendages still carried some glossiness. The greying beard and moustache seemed longer, too. It couldn 't be said how old Armin 's grandfather was, however Eren was sure it was a rather impressive number. It was no secret that his name was Raymund, but the old fairy insisted on simply being called grandfather or something similar. Quite odd, but Eren wasn 't one to complain about such things.

'So, ' Raymund began, clasping his hands behind his back as he looked between them. 'To what do I owe the pleasure? '

'We were wondering if you could ' tell us about fairies? ' Eren glanced over at Armin. 'We 've realised that we don 't actually know very much, history wise. '

The grandfather fairy huffed out a breath. 'You assume that I know these things, simply because I am old? '

Turquoise eyes shifted around awkwardly, unsure of how to answer. Eren certainly didn 't want to offend him, but it was true that wisdom often came with experience, and therefore age. 'Um ' ' He said, timid. 'Yes? '

'You may be correct. ' Raymund smiled, the boy 's hesitance was appreciated. He made his way back to the stool and sighed as he slowly sat down again, the weathered wood creaking beneath him. 'Go on then, ask your questions and I will try to answer. But I cannot guarantee anything substantial. '

After receiving an encouraging nod from Armin, the brunet approached the stool and sat down on the floor, the flax mat providing ample cushioning from the hard surface it covered. Inspecting the room, the burning smell was discovered to be coming from an incense of flower petals, thin ribbons of smoke floating up and dissipating into the air. Once Armin joined him, Eren gazed up at brown eyes and asked his question. 'Do you know if there are different types of fairies? '

'Types? ' Raymund asked, blinking down at the brunet. 'You 'll need to be more specific. '

'Fairies that are different to us, ' Eren explained. He looked down at his hands, twiddling his thumbs anxiously. 'Like, for example ' fairies that can see in the dark and have glowing spots on their wings? '

The old fairy hummed thoughtfully, the deep vibration filling the room as he examined Eren. 'I know what you speak of. ' Emerald eyes flicked up to meet him, filled with a burning interest. Raymund cleared his throat, his wiry moustache shifting with the action. '

Unseelie

. I 've heard the word used, although I believe some find the term a bit derogatory. ' He sniffed, gaze shifting to a feathery trinket dangling from the ceiling. 'Creatures of the night ' if we are the doves, they would be the crows. '

Eren frowned, wondering if the words were some sort of riddle. 'Do you know anything about them? '

'Not much, ' Raymund said. 'I 've never met one myself. But as with most things, there are plenty of stories. The tales are filled with unsavoury depictions; blood, deception, malevolence and murder. Bu- ' Armin squeaked in alarm, interrupting him mid-sentence. 'But ' we must remember that stories are inherently bias, often told from a single perspective and misconstrued over time. It is impossible for us to know the degree of distortion, but clearly these individuals survived to pass on their accounts. ' Raymund hummed as he searched his mind for information, pulling details from the few stories he 'd heard over the years. 'Mostly nocturnal, I believe. They 're clearly adapted to the night, and I suspect their numbers are far fewer. It 's for these reasons that we rarely encounter them. '

'So, they don 't live in colonies like us? ' Eren asked.

The old fairy nodded. 'Solitary, it seems... but they 've been known to form small groups, usually familial. '

'But why? ' Shiny turquoise eyes looked up expectantly, determined to find out as much as possible. 'It 's so much easier to live in a colony, so why wouldn 't they? And you said there are less of them ' why is that? ' Eren 's lips pulled into another frown, suddenly worried that Levi may be prone to illness or have a shorter life span. 'Are they sick? Or did something happen to them? '

'So many questions ' but unfortunately, that is the extent of my knowledge. These tales don 't tend to focus on demographics, ' Raymund said as he leaned back on the stool, eyeing Eren with an odd expression. 'You seem very invested in the topic. Where did you hear about these things? '

Viridian wings twitched in annoyance, this conversation only confirmed the things that Eren had already suspected. He 'd been hoping for more details ' but in the end, it had just made him worry for Levi 's health.

'Eren has a crush on one of those night-fairies. '

'What the fig?! ' Eren 's gaze whipped over to the blonde, whose bright blue eyes blinked innocently. 'I do not! And I 've only seen him once. Stop being weird. '

'Oh, right... ' Armin said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 'He 's just your special alpha friend that you talk about all the time. '

'Don 't say stuff like that in front of your grandpa, geez... ' Eren scolded as his face heated up, feeling thoroughly embarrassed by his friend 's comment. 'What 's wrong with you? '

Armin hummed dismissively and shrugged his shoulders, unaffected by the brunet 's mortification. 'You get what you give. '

Eren huffed loudly, deciding to ignore any further remarks from the blonde. Green eyes went back to Armin 's grandfather, who had been polite enough to ignore their little side conversation and was waiting patiently. 'They 're definitely fairies though, right? '

'That 's correct, ' Raymund answered, his faded beige wings flapping once behind him. 'I 'm no expert, but we are certainly both fairies ' it 's more of a race, if you will. Like how there are different breeds of cat. '

The brunet chirped, head tilting in confusion. He recalled the strange silver whiskers on Levi 's wings. 'Cats? '

'Oh ' that was only to help you understand. My apologies, it was a poor comparison. ' Raymund went silent for a moment, considering, and eventually gave in to his own curiosity. 'You know a night fairy, then? '

'I know two, ' Eren corrected, although it 'll be three if gets to meet Isabel 's mate. He observed that Grandpa seemed intrigued by the subject, perhaps even disappointed that he had never met one himself. ' 'Everything you said seems to match up ' but I 'll let you know if I find out anything more. '

'Thank you, there is still much for me to learn about our world. ' Smiling appreciatively, Raymund sighed under his breath. 'I 'm only sorry that I couldn 't offer more answers. ' He stroked his beard, the greyish-brown hairs being pulled down by his hand and bouncing back up again. 'It would be wonderful for you to make friends with this fairy. Just make sure you stay safe in you travels. '

Eren 's face fell into an expression of boredom, he was unable to count the number of times he 'd been warned in the past few days. But still, Armin 's grandfather was a wise man and may see things from a wider perspective. 'My mother doesn 't want me to see him again, ' Eren said, dejected. 'She thinks it 's too dangerous, but I don 't understand what she 's afraid of. '

'Carla is very cautious ' but it wasn 't always that way. I remember a time when she was inquisitive and carefree, much like yourself. ' Raymund's hands dropped from his beard to rest on his knees. 'Losing your father changed her, made her wary of any potential dangers. Which is fair enough ' but your life is your own, what you do with it is up to you. Don 't let your actions be dictated by the fears of another. '

'Thank you. ' It was encouraging to hear those words, to have someone recognise Eren 's ability to make his own decisions. Carla may be upset ' but he cannot spend the rest of his life hiding in a hollow just to quell her worries. Perhaps she would be more trusting in time.

'Eren, is that everything? ' Armin said from the side. 'We should get going now, if you still want to visit the stream again. '

'Yeah, that 's all. ' Eren's eyes shifted back up to Raymund. 'Thanks for your time, grandfather. We 'll come back soon. '

'Oh, don 't worry about me. You two go have fun. ' The edges of his moustache curled up as he smiled.

The flax crinkled as the two omegas got to their feet, flapping their wings for assistance and circulating a gentle breeze throughout the hollow. Trinkets jingled as they swayed from the ceiling, a song of soothing chimes.

A familiar colour caught Eren 's attention, the small charm that was dangling near the entrance. Stepping closer, he took the fragile ornament in his palm as he inspected the geometric gemstone. A red garnet... they weren 't rare by any means, but this one was had developed a lovely shape. It had many smooth faces and a remarkable clarity that made it almost translucent, resulting in a brilliant crimson red that caught the light on every angle, sparkling like a tiny chandelier.

'Keep it, ' Raymund said, noticing the brunet 's captivation with his old trinket. 'I don 't mind, it 'll make room for one of my newer ones. '

Eren blinked over to him, green eyes filled with joy. 'Thanks! I 'll take good care of it, promise. '

'It doesn 't need much, just wipe off the dust every now and then. ' His gaze shifted over to the blonde. 'You can pick one too, Armin. Whichever you 'd like. '

Scanning the hollow, Armin found the number of choices were a little overwhelming. Eventually he settled on a light-pink ornament, a shard of rose quartz on a woven string of cotton. 'I prefer softer colours, ' The blonde said, playing with the charm in his hand as he looked at Eren. 'But you 've always liked bolder shades, vibrant colours that stand out. '

'I suppose so, ' Eren replied, eyes falling to the gem in his own hand. The blood-red was truly beautiful. He wasn 't sure where he would hang it, on the branches or in his hollow, but Eren knew that he 'd find the best place for it.