'Aren 't you leaving it a bit late? ' Armin looked up from the blueberry he was peeling, hands covered in a thin layer of wax to prevent the dark juice from staining his skin. Fairies had found many uses for the resources they had; the flesh could be used to make numerous products and medicines, and the inky liquid made an excellent dye or paint. Pale eyes found the fairy that was currently lying face-down on the floor of his hollow, restless yet unwilling to move. 'The sun 's almost at its highest, didn 't you say the journey takes a while? '

Eren turned his head, bored eyes peering up at the blonde. 'Levi sleeps during the day, remember? I don 't want to go too early. ' He explained. The plan had taken some thought. It was a bit unfair that Levi could see during the day while Eren couldn 't at night, but this visit was unexpected. He didn 't want to risk the alpha being asleep, unable to help if Eren found himself lost once again. If everything went according to plan, Eren would get there in the late afternoon, leaving a bit of sunlight for him to try find his way. Sitting back on his knees, Eren 's wings fluttered, feeling excited but incredibly nervous. Emerald eyes looked to Armin, asking a question that had been plaguing his mind all morning. 'Do you think he 'll be happy to see me? '

'I don 't know, ' Armin replied flatly, holding his hands over a wooden bowl to collect the juice that dripped from his fingers. 'From what you 've told me, I 'd say so. '

Humming in contemplation, Eren fiddled with the red garnet that rested against his sternum. The grass string had been too long, having to be wrapped around his neck two or three times to make it wearable. He 'd decided that a necklace was more practical than a tree decoration, although the moderately sized stone was heavier than what he was used to. Regardless, the brilliant red looked stunning against Eren 's tanned skin, and he 'd chosen a white cotton shirt to draw out the bold colour.

Gazing out of the hollow, green eyes examined the sunlight, taking into account that there was more cloud cover today. Eren 's index finger tapped against the wooden floor, impatient. It was reassuring to spend time with Armin, although he wasn 't there simply for a visit. This was his hideout.

Carla had caused a fair amount of commotion when she 'd found out where he was going today, and Eren had flown the coop before it could escalate any further. The situation was worsened by the implication that Eren would be staying overnight. He hadn 't understood what the fuss was about, but he 'd attempted to calm her by saying that it didn 't count, as the nights were technically days to Levi. It was confusing, really, but Eren would try his best to accommodate the alpha 's lifestyle.

Eren sighed as he glanced down at his hand, bringing the insistent tapping to an end. 'Okay, I 'm going now." Viridian wings stretched as the brunet got to his feet, preparing himself for the long journey ahead.

'Alright, ' Armin said, delicately pulling a slither of skin from the fruit. 'I know you 've heard it enough for a lifetime, but ' ' Blue eyes tracked Eren 's movements, the brunet straightening his clothing and running fingers through his unruly mop of hair. 'Please be careful. '

'Don 't worry. I 'll be fine, ' Eren assured. He gave up on trying to fix his hair, the wind would only mess it up while he flew. 'I 'm not sure when I 'll be home, exactly. Flying back so soon was exhausting the last time. ' Staring out at the rustling leaves, Eren thought about how long he 'd stay with the alpha. The journey was too long for a day trip, or a night trip ' but Eren couldn 't really carry anything that far, he 'd probably drop out of the sky before he reached the forest. To minimise the extra weight, he had only a few items on his person. A second shirt, long-sleeved for something warmer, which Eren was wearing over the top of his first one, and a small pouch of his mother 's spiced fruit for Levi to try. The lack of supplies wasn 't at all concerning; where they are fairies, there must be food and a water source nearby.

'I 'll try to keep Carla under control while you 're gone, ' Armin said with a slight frown, knowing full well that it would be easier said than done. She had suggested that he go with Eren, but the two young fairies had already decided against it. They should ask for permission before bringing a stranger to Levi 's home, and of course the blonde had his own alpha to worry about. Armin also had no desire to be a third-wing. 'Fly safe. '

'I will. Seeya! ' Eren waved as rushed out of the hollow, immediately kicking off the branch and taking off in a flurry of dazzling emerald.

Once out of the forest, Eren checked the sky and found that it was earlier than he 'd planned. It surely wouldn 't matter, he 'd been bored of waiting. There was still a thick blanket of fluffy clouds covering the expanse of blue, but thankfully there was no sign of incoming rain. Passing over the trickling stream, wonderous eyes followed a group of dragonflies that skated over the water 's surface, their metallic thoraxes glistening where they reflected the sunlight. All creatures seemed to be enjoying the spring.

Reaching the meadow, Eren found himself turning sharply to head east. The omega made a mental note to figure out a more direct route, his detour through the meadow added a fair amount of time to the journey. But until then, following his previous path was the best way to ensure that he ended up where he wanted to be.

ren started to feel the strain in his wings all too soon, flight-muscles tightening in protest of the constant effort. The sun had long begun its descent from the top of the sky, gradually slipping to the side as the young fairy pushed on. Eren praised himself for packing light. It felt as though even his necklace was weighing him down, anything more would have been unbearable.

When a stand of trees came into view, the brunet couldn 't stop himself from fretting. He was keenly aware of the fact that he didn 't know Levi very well, and Eren worried that his mother was correct about him being too trusting. Trying to settle his thoughts, the omega reminded himself that Levi had earned some degree of his trust. Armin had agreed that the alpha wasn 't likely to hurt him once Eren had shared the details that he 'd left out for his mother 's sake, and the blonde said that Levi 's behaviour seemed typical of an alpha that wanted to protect. It was reassuring that Eren wasn 't the only one who 'd gotten that impression.

Slowing down as he entered the shaded forest, Eren looked around with curious eyes, amazed by the difference in vegetation despite not being that far away. It was more alive today, filled with the fresh scent of nature and insects that sung out from among the plants. Keen ears picked up on a few bird songs, but Eren knew that those feathered creatures weren 't as friendly as their melodic warbles suggested. They were given a wide berth.

The omega spotted what appeared to be the same branch and gracefully landed on solid bark, his wings twitching in anticipation. Inspecting the shape of the wooden perch, Eren determined that it was indeed the correct place. A difficult thing, as all the branches looked quite similar, but he 'd paid close attention when saying goodbye to Levi. Turquoise eyes turned to scan the canopy, jumping from tree-to-tree as he searched for anything familiar. Staring at a hanging branch, he felt confident that it was the right direction.

Eren 's ears perked up at a faint rustling. His head turned to the side, alert. The sound was coming from a nearby patch of wilted leaves. Eyeing it suspiciously, the foliage stopped shifting. He waited a moment to see if anything would jump out ' the leaves remained deathly still. Eren frowned, knowing that the current breeze was incapable of causing such a loud disturbance, especially since it had been localised. Much too large to be an insect.

Wanting to get a move on, the omega promptly took off. He sniffed as he soared through the forest with wide-spread wings, trying to pick up on the scent of warmed wine. There were tiny white mushrooms sprouting from many of the branches, an oddity that Eren hadn 't noticed during his previous visit. He supposed that his attention had been elsewhere during their shared flight.

The occasional crinkle of leaves sounding out from behind him, as if something was brushing past them, gave Eren the uneasy feeling that he was being followed. An optimistic part of him hoped that it might be Levi ' but he wouldn 't remain hidden, especially since he 'd be able to smell that the omega was frightened by the not-so-subtle trailing. It must be a curious animal, Eren thought, a freakishly large insect or baby-bird.

His nose twitched, detecting the presence of a new smell. It was earthy and quite mild overall, except for the sharp aroma of garlic that cut through the otherwise mundane scent. Eren couldn 't recall any animals that smelt like that. Viridian wings sped to an urgent pace, the brunet unwilling to check behind as it would cause him to lose momentum.

Thinking that he must be getting close, Eren frantically searched the area even though he wasn 't entirely sure what he was looking for. Isabel 's words echoed in his mind;

you 're lucky it was Levi who found you.

Eren hadn 't thought much of it at the time, but now it led him to wonder what else may be lurking in this shadowed forest.

As he glanced down to examine the ground, green eyes were instantly drawn to something that didn 't belong, the sight causing his heart to thump harder in his chest. There were two shadows. The second one only fractionally ahead of his own ' something was flying directly above him.

Eren yelped as he barrel-rolled to the side, aware of the fact that birds tended to swoop down on their prey. The spontaneous tumble ended when he made contact with the tree canopy, the sound and feel of crisp leaves disorientating. He desperately flapped among them to prevent himself from falling to the forest floor.

Regaining some sense of awareness, Eren allowed himself to drop down onto a protruding branch. There was a soft thud as he landed on the bark, alert, crouching as eyes darted around for any sign of danger. The omega jumped in fright as something fell onto the branch next to his own, careless and without a shred of elegance, producing a loud thump and the subsequent creak of wood as the branch swayed beneath the weight. Eren swallowed loudly, eyes glued to the tangle of foliage.

'Hey there, Shiny. ' A pair of black ears peaked over the leaves, pointed into sharp triangles. 'You lost? '

The decidedly male voice hadn 't sounded concerned in the slightest. It was stern, warning that the answer had better be

yes,

and that any other explanation was unacceptable. Eren examined the ear tips for a moment, they looked a bit like those of a cat ' but things weren 't always as they appeared in this forest. Compliance seemed to be the safest option. 'Yes ' ' Eren said, cautiously. A quiet crunching caught his attention, the sound short and repetitive. Was it chewing on something?

One of the black ears flicked in the leaves before starting to rise, revealing more if its form to the startled omega. Eren blinked, focusing on the points. He saw ' tears. They were a rich blue and shaped like falling raindrops.

It only took the brunet a few seconds to realise they were eyespots. Similar to Levi 's, only a different shape and colour. They appeared much less threatening, although that was likely only because he knew what they were, and the sun was still out. If he 'd encountered these eyes the other night, Eren was sure that they would 've been just as terrifying.

Eren allowed himself to feel some relief. If this fairy lived here, there was a good chance that it would know Levi. As he already knew that there weren 't many fairies around here, the brunet suspected that this one might be Isabel 's aforementioned mate. 'I lied, ' Eren admitted, feeling much safer after the revelation. 'I 'm not lost. '

'No? ' Blue eyespots tilted, confused by the change in demeanour and sudden confession.

'Nope. ' Eren watched the luminous teardrops slant further to the side. The motion was rather cute, he thought, although he preferred seeing Levi do it. Most night-fairies seemed to have expressive wings, Eren would need to figure out what the gestures meant. 'I 'm here to see Levi ' are you his friend? '

The blue ovals straightened up and remained still for a moment, considering ' then they flapped, noisily pushing the vegetation aside with powerful wing beats. Eren squeaked at the sudden movement and stepped back, watching as a few stale leaves detached from the tree and fluttered away in the wind.

Just as Eren begun to worry that the other might be trapped, the foliage gave way and a male fairy moved out onto the branch. His hair was a dirty blonde, the colour of wet sand, with fluffy bangs that flopped over his forehead. There was something hanging out for between his lips ' thin and darkly coloured, presumably what was being chewed on earlier.

His real eyes appeared to be blue as well, except a much lighter shade and with a greyish tint. Eren inspected the new fairy 's wings, finding that they looked very similar to Levi 's. The appendages were slightly paler and weren 't as wide, but appearing to stand more upright, taller. Each one tapered off to an incredibly sharp apex, pointing skyward like a crown of thorns. His hindwings appeared to be fully divided into two overlapping segments, a peculiar feature that Eren had never seen before.

'I 'm his friend. ' The blonde spat the object out of his mouth, a twig perhaps. It had fallen to the forest floor before Eren had gotten a proper look at it. 'My name 's Farlan. Do we know each other? '

'No, ' Eren replied. 'I only met Levi recently, Isabel too. '

Farlan 's eyebrows raised, his expression changing into one of recognition. 'I 've heard of you. Eren, right? ' The brunet nodded, and he smiled awkwardly. 'Sorry for scaring you. ' Dark grey wings shifted behind him, eyes examining Eren as more leaves were pushed aside. 'And since I 've apologised ' there 's no need to tell Levi about it, yeah? '

'Um ' okay. ' Eren said, slightly confused. The scent of garlic had diminished, likely because Farlan now knew that he wasn 't a threat. Definitely another alpha. With eyes drawn to the dark wings once again, Eren realised that the vibrant blue eyespots had faded to a dull navy, all but disappearing into the darkness that surrounded them. Levi 's had also vanished while he slept. It was safe to assume that it meant they felt comfortable, at ease and relaxed. 'Don 't you sleep during the day? ' Eren asked, glancing up at the sunlight that was filtering through the canopy. He lamented the simplicity of what he once knew.

'Sometimes I wake up early. ' Farlan hummed, following the omega 's gaze to the higher branches. Blue eyes fell back to Eren, a small smile on his face. 'I really like grasshoppers, but they don 't come out at night. '

'Oh. Me too, ' Eren said, personally finding grasshoppers to be quite charming. But after thinking about it for a few seconds, Eren suddenly blanched. Wide turquoise eyes looked down to the forest floor, searching for the twig that he now suspected to be a decapitated insect leg. Farlan

eats

grasshoppers. Does Levi do that?

'What 's that face for? '

Wiping away his shocked expression, Eren managed a meek smile. Perhaps it was just a twig after all. He wanted to know, out of curiosity ' but ignorance seemed preferable in this situation. 'It 's nothing, don 't worry about it. '

Farlan 's head tilted in confusion, but the brunet 's odd behaviour was quickly dismissed. 'I can take you to Levi if you want, he should be awake by now. '

Eren was tempted to ask if Levi was partaking in the grasshopper hunt. He decided against it, finding Farlan 's offer of greater importance. 'Yes, please... I 'm not really sure where I 'm going, ' Eren said, curiously inspecting the tall tree he had found himself perched in.

'This way. ' Farlan turned around, spreading his large wings and leaping off the branch.

Following him on emerald wings, Eren discovered that his sense of direction hadn 't been too far off. They veered to the left, and soon enough there was vegetation that he recognised; thick vines snaking around the tree trunks and patches dark orange toadstools sprouting from the forest floor. His chest felt tight, growing increasingly tense as they drew closer to their destination. Eren wasn 't sure if he was nervous about how Levi would react, or because he was about to finally see him again, but his mouth was beginning to feel overly dry.

Excitement took over when the nest came into view, the familiar structure of intertwined plant material hanging discreetly from a mid-level branch. Eren noticed an accumulation of discarded grass on the ground below, brown with decay, and he promptly diverted his eyes to avoid drawing attention to it.

Viridian wings flapped as Eren descended and landed delicately, fingers clinging onto the coarse fibres near the entrance. It was much more difficult without a branch to land on. The brunet jumped in alarm as Farlan smacked into the side of the nest at full speed, causing a loud thump as the dried grass bore the impact.

Noticing the incredulous look he was receiving, Farlan turned with a breathy chuckle. 'Easier than slowing down. '

Eren didn 't feel like that required a response. He climbed to the side, extending one of his legs until he felt a solid surface beneath the toe of his boot, and released his grip to carefully step within the entrance. Green eyes took in the interior, quickly settling on what they were searching for. Against the grass wall sat Levi and Isabel, talking to each other in hushed tones.

Not wanting to interrupt their conversation, Eren simply stood there, waiting. Levi looked just as he remembered. Just as beautiful, stands of jet-black hair draping over his face to contrast with pale skin. Levi 's head was turned to face Isabel, unknowingly showing off his sharp jaw line to admiring eyes. Emerald wings twitched as an army of tiny butterflies fluttered in Eren 's stomach. His mouth somehow felt even drier.

Silver irises flicked over to where he stood, the sudden movement startling Eren out of his daze.

'Eren. ' Levi stood up. Midnight wings shifted in the air, his body struggling to decide on a course of action. There was a pull in his legs that urged him to approach, but Levi managed to fight it off. Sniffing a few times, it was shocking that he hadn 't detected Eren earlier. Distracted by Isabel 's stink, most likely.

'Hi, Eren! ' Isabel smiled brightly and jumped to her feet, swampy wing practically vibrating with excitement. 'It 's great to see you again. ' Her moss coloured eyes narrowed, shifting to the blonde that had entered behind Eren. 'Returning empty handed, huh? '

Farlan sighed from the entrance, giving her a rather unimpressed look. 'Why don 't you find your own breakfast for once? '

'But you 're so good at it, ' Isabel said, lips pulling into a pout. 'Besides, I know you secretly like providing for me. '

'Yeah, and I know that you just like the room service. '

Red bangs flew to the side as Isabel tossed her head, crossing her arms and huffing dramatically. 'You were way nicer before I let you crawl into my nest! '

'Would you both just shut up already? ' Levi intervened, the excessive noise beginning to irritate him. It was too crowded all of a sudden. 'If you want to argue, do it away from me. '

'What? ' Isabel turned to him, eyes squinting in annoyance. 'We are not arguing! '

'I don 't care what you call it, ' Levi replied flatly, meeting her glare with a disinterested expression. 'Go somewhere else. '

Gaze shifting over to Eren, Isabel realised that he was standing to the side rather awkwardly with wide eyes, following the conversation and unsure of what to do. Isabel recognised the cue to vacate. 'You know, my alpha seems to be in desperate need of a hunting lesson. ' She said, mossy eyes moving Farlan. 'Need me to show ya ' how it 's done? '

'Okay ' ' Farlan agreed, voice completely void of enthusiasm. He wouldn 't hesitate to retort under normal circumstances, to defend his abilities, but he didn 't want to cause a scene in front of their guest.

'Great! ' Isabel bounded over to him, a mischievous smirk appearing on her face. There was no harm in having a bit of fun before departing, Isabel considered it payback for the sudden eviction. 'Oh, Eren! ' She waited until she had the brunet 's attention, relishing the expectant look in his eyes. 'Levi 's got a gift for you. Cute, huh? ' Immediately diving out of the nest, Isabel let out a villainous giggle as she flew away, disappearing before Levi had a chance to scold her.

'Seeya Shiny, ' Farlan said before taking off after her, leaving a gust of wind in his wake.

The breeze momentarily lifted Eren 's bangs, chocolate strands flittering in the air before settling against his forehead. Green eyes shifted back to Levi, seeing that the alpha was scowling in apparent annoyance. 'Um ' ' Eren begun, quiet and hesitant. Sharp gun-metal eyes landed on him again, the frown lifting into a more neutral expression. Levi looked somewhat startled at being put on the spot, embarrassed even. Eren didn 't want to press ' but he was undeniably curious. 'Is that true? '

'Uh ' yes, but I don 't, um ' ' Aware of his faltering speech, Levi recovered by clearing his throat. 'I wasn 't going to give it to you. '

Eren 's head tilted to the side, perplexed. It didn 't help that the alpha 's usually expressive wings remained still, the black appendages hovering slightly lower than usual with droopy tips. 'Why not? '

The answer was delayed, metallic irises glancing outside as Levi considered what to say. Eventually he let out a sigh, surrendering to the omega 's hopeful turquoise eyes. 'Because it 's garbage, ' Levi said. 'You can see it, I guess ' I 've never made anything like this before, that 's why it turned out awful. I don 't expect you to keep it. ' An object was taken out of his clothing. Levi frowned at it with displeasure before holding it out in front of him. 'Here... It was supposed to be a bracelet. Izzy 's idea. '

Eren stepped forwards to take the item, using his fingers to pluck it from Levi 's hand. Inspecting it, he was relieved that Levi had told him what the object was

supposed

to be. It was an unidentifiable mess. The fibres were coming undone, poking out on all angles and threatening to fall apart. There were charms stuck in it ' shell fragments of some description, and what appeared to be tiny chunks of tree bark. It looked more like a bundle of tumbleweed than anything else, and Eren doubted that it was even physically wearable.

Being experienced himself, it was obvious that the greatest mistake was the using an unsuitable type of grass. The variety Levi had chosen was much too thick, rigid and incapable of bending as it needed to. 'It 's ' um ' ' Eren struggled for words, eyes glued to the so-called bracelet. Even though Levi had already said it was awful, the omega didn 't want to put him down of discourage him for it. 'It 's not that bad, for your first try. It has a ' circular shape. Which is pretty good if you 've never done it before. '

'It 's a piece of crap, ' Levi said. 'It 's fine, Eren. I can accept that I 'm bad at crafting things. '

'That 's not true, no one gets it right on the first try. ' Eren fiddled with the crude circlet in his hand, picking at a chunk of bark the was protruding out of the side. 'Besides ' you made this whole nest, right? '

A thin eyebrow raised as Levi examined the walls surrounding them, a thick matrix of entwined grass and twigs.

'I think it 's great, you built it well enough to withstand storms. ' Green eyes looked up at the spiralling ceiling, the structure that had protected him from a deadly downpour of rain. 'It 's a lot more useful than a silly bracelet. '

'It 's not strange to you? ' Levi asked, tilting his head slightly. Sooty wings perked up behind him, gently waving at the omega 's words. 'Isabel told me that you live in a tree. '

'It was at first, but now it 's just ' different. I 'm starting to like it. ' Eren smiled brightly, pleased that Levi seemed to be feeling better now.

'I wasn 't sure that you would come back. '

Eren blinked at the seemingly random statement. 'I wanted to see you, ' He said, watching as silver eyes were drawn to his wings. 'It 's not an easy journey, and I was trying to warm my mother up to the idea. But that didn 't work out very well. '

'Your mother tried to stop you from seeing me? ' Levi asked with a prominent frown, annoyed by the idea alone.

'Well ' no, but her disapproval was made clear. ' Eren 's gaze drifted down. 'She 's worried that you 'll hurt me. '

'Are you worried about that, too? '

'I wouldn 't be here if I was. '

Levi hummed.

As Eren watched the alpha 's wings perform their familiar swaying motion, he considered the oddness of their earlier conversation.

In his colony, all fairies were taught how to weave properly. In addition to making beautiful jewellery, it was an important life skill. All their possessions and tools involved some level of grass work, be it a container or the handle of a hammer. They were taught at a young age, long before their dynamics became apparent, so alphas were just as skilled at it as everyone else. Eren was sure he had seen Isabel wearing a necklace earlier, and she had also suggested the bracelet. It was clearly a part of their lives ' yet for some reason, Levi had no idea how. A snuffling sound interrupted his thoughts.

Levi leaned forward as he scented the air, the curve of his lips sinking into the faintest of frowns. It was irrational, he knew, but Levi couldn 't prevent the pang of disappointment he felt at not being able smell himself on the omega. Of course, Eren would 've washed since then ' his alpha didn 't seem to think it was a good enough excuse.

Deciding to follow suit, Eren sniffed around Levi, finding it easier now that the other two had cleared out. Picking it up almost immediately, Eren 's body warmed as the scent of spiced wine washed over him, emerald wings fluttering happily. But as enjoyable as the activity was, the brunet opted to continue their conversation. 'Levi. ' Spinning the bracelet in his fingers, Eren waited until pools of sterling silver were focused on his face. 'I was just wondering, um ' my mother taught me how to weave, how come yours didn 't? '

Levi 's reply came after a few seconds of silence, voice quiet. 'She couldn 't. '

'Oh, ' Eren said, unsure of what that meant. She couldn 't weave herself, or she couldn 't teach him? Feeling like it was a bit too personal, Eren decided not to enquire further. He was just relieved that it wasn 't an intentional gap in Levi 's knowledge. Nevertheless, Eren couldn 't imagine not being able to make the things he needed. 'I could teach you, if you wanted. '

'I 'm not sure ' ' A deep hum emanated from Levi 's throat, thoughtful. The black points of his wings tilted quizzically. 'We can try it, I suppose. '

'We 'll start with this! ' Eren announced, viridian wings twitching with excitement as he held the shabbily constructed bracelet up to Levi 's face. Silver eyes blinked at it with

dwindling interest. 'Is there softer grass around here? ' The omega pinched the circlet between his thumb and index finger. 'This is too thick ' ' Glancing outside, Eren examined the golden streams of light that were creeping into the nest. 'Can we go now? There 's still enough sun. '

The alpha blinked again, observing Eren 's face with intrigued eyes. 'Okay. ' Midnight wings straightened out, stretching before their first flight of the day.

Eren rushed ahead, fingers clinging to the sides of the entrance as he peaked out. He wanted to make the most of the sunshine, knowing that he 'd be unable to see once it disappeared for the night. The view from Levi 's nest was similar to how he remembered it, except the forest appeared brighter without the layer of freshly fallen rain, richer and more vibrant. There wasn 't a large variety of colour, mainly just differing shades of brown and green, but Eren could see the odd speck of warmth hiding among the foliage. The air had more of a floral tone, less damp ' not too different to the place he called home.

Sensing Levi behind him, Eren shifted aside to let him lead the way. The alpha took off with a single wing beat; the black appendages undulated up and then pushed down forcefully, creating a strong wind that sent chestnut strands flying and made the omega 's eyes water, very nearly blowing him out of the nest. He probably shouldn 't have been standing so close.

Once Eren had regained his footing and blinked away the wind-induced tears, he took off to follow Levi into the forest. Watching the alpha soar beneath him, Eren was once again fascinated by unique flight style. The dark sails seemed to hollow out somewhat, a concave shape that caught air beneath and allowed him fly without much effort. Eren could glide into a descent by hold his wings out, but Levi 's flexible pair could tilt to gain altitude.

With his eyes the alpha 's wings, Eren was alarmed when the black appendages suddenly caved in, the edges folding skyward as they reversed their shape. Worry turned into surprised when Levi rolled on to his back, the new curve of his wings allowing him to fly while facing up. The omega had never tried such a thing, but he certain that it would end in disaster if he did. Turquoise eyes locked with silver, and Eren appreciated the way Levi 's dark hair fluttered around his face, dancing in the wind like ink in water.

When Levi suddenly dropping out of the sky, the brunet could see patches of lush grass covering the forest floor. It looked strikingly similar to what he used back home, thin blades of dull green. The alpha landed roughly, all but falling into the sea of vegetation, while Eren slowed into a graceful descent and touched down next to him.

Eren looked at the darkness crouching besides him, concealed in the grass except for the black appendages that popped out. To someone flying overhead, Levi could be mistaken for an oddly-coloured mushroom. 'I didn 't know you could do that, ' Eren marvelled.

'I don 't often. ' The grass rustled as Levi stood, wings flicking in the air to regain their flattened shape. 'It feels weird. ' Levi hummed and glanced around, stretching his wings some more as he tried to erase the discomfort of having them bent oddly. 'Are these plants good enough? '

Eren brushed his fingers over the blades of grass, the soft surfaces sliding against his skin. 'Yeah, they 'll do. '

The brunet plopped down on the spot, sitting cross-legged as he plucked a few strands of grass from the base of the plant. Tugging off the pointed tips, Eren began the familiar process of pulling apart the fibres, turning one blade of grass into several thinner stands. Turquoise eyes look up, surprised to find that Levi was no longer next to him. 'Eren 's gaze darted around the clearing until they located him. Standing atop a fallen branch some distance away, Levi seemed to be staring off into the dense forest. Brown eyebrows pinched together, unsure of what was happening. 'Is something wrong? ' Eren asked, growing concerned.

'No, ' Levi replied, his head turning to look in another direction. 'Just checking. '

Sighing, the omega turned back to his task. It was fine, Levi didn 't need to know about the preparation just yet. They would start on the basics. Still curious, Eren peeked out the corner of his eye, watching as Levi walked along the log to flap his wings at a spiky shrub. Threatening it, apparently.

Once Eren had finished separating the material, he entertained himself by further examining the area. Large tree trunks encircled them, the wooden pillars extending high into the air. Following one with his eyes, he saw that the canopy was thinner overhead, the sparseness allowing a decent amount of sunlight to break through the mosaic of leaves. Eren was unsure how long it took them to get there, but the sky was already taking on an orange hue as the sun neared the horizon.

Hearing the rhythmic crunching of grass growing louder, the brunet concluded that Levi must be finished with ' whatever he 'd been doing. 'So, ' Eren began, his fingers running over the thin strands to straighten them out. 'One of the elders in my colony had heard of your kind before. You 're a night fairy. '

Levi scoffed at the name, kicking a small pebble as he strolled closer. 'Who 's the genius that came up with that? '

'Um ' ' Eren sucked on his cheek in thought, remembering that it was Armin who called them that first. Turquoise eyes glanced up at the alpha, who was now standing behind Eren 's shoulder. 'It was my best friend, actually. '

'How imaginative. And does your friend call owls ' ' Levi stared down with a grave expression on his face. A thin eyebrow quirked sardonically. 'Night birds? '

'No. ' Eren huffed as he looked back to his hands. He gathered all the threads together, making sure the ends were lined up with each other. 'Because owls have a proper name. Now watch, this is how you start it. ' Manoeuvring the grass, Eren wrapped the strands around his finger and pulled to form a knot at the end. 'You need to tie it, see? '

'What makes you think that you 're the standard? ' Silver eyes lazily followed the brunet 's hands. 'I could be the normal one, and you could be the weird day-fairy. '

'Well ' there are just over three hundred fairies in my colony, and I 've only seen two others like you, ' Eren explained. It was impossible to know how many fairies existed in the world, but a few of the outsiders that joined them had come from a different colony. 'Okay, now we can start weaving it. ' Delicate fingers began entwining the grass together, moving one stand over the others like a braid, and the pattern started to form in Eren 's hands. 'It 's basically just repeating the same movement, so you should be able to pick it up quickly. '

'I can 't imagine living somewhere so crowded ' ' Black wings raised higher as Levi spoke, one of the pointy tips flicking in the air with an irritated twitch.

'Are you paying attention? ' Eren asked, hands paused in their motion. The alpha 's tone had sounded thoughtful and far away, distracted by something. An affirmative hum was the only response, deep and drawn out, accompanied by the crinkle of grass as Levi shifted. Suddenly there was a firm pressure on top of Eren 's head, and a heat radiating against his back and shoulders. Levi was kneeling behind him. 'What are you doing? '

'Watching. '

The deepness of his voice made it sound gravelly. Eren was hyperaware of the vibration it produced, feeling it where the alpha 's chin was resting above him. Having Levi so close felt strange. He couldn 't determine whether the strangeness was good or not, only that it was new. 'I don 't think you can see from up there ' ' Eren said warily, imagining that it would be a horrible angle for observing his hands.

'I can, ' Levi assured. His head shifted to get comfortable on the cushion of chocolate hair, making sure that his chin wasn 't digging into the omega. 'Keep going. '

Eren moved his hands further forward before continuing. He was using the simplest technique, weaving in a straight line that could then be curled into a circular shape. The plan was to attach the pieces of shell from the bracelet he was gifted, an appealing shade of beige, although Eren decided to pass on the rough bark.

As he was working along the grass, the brunet was forced to stop when something dark fell in front of his face. Eren squeaked, startled by the sudden obstruction. It was Levi 's wing, he realised, limply draped over his shoulder. Confusingly, Eren found himself staring straight into one of the alphas giant eyespots, unsure of when they had started glowing. Was it because the sun was close to setting?

Wanting to resume his task, Eren raised a hand and pushed the wing back over his shoulder, returning it to where it rightfully belonged. The next distraction came in the form on a vocalisation. It seemed to be the same one Eren had heard while they were flying the other day, a melodic warble with a pitch that repeatedly rose and fell. The harmonious trilling was admittedly very pretty, reminiscent of a bird song. Judging by the vibrations against the back of his head, it seemed to be originating from deep in Levi 's throat. The vocalisation dwindled to a quieter variation of the sound before it cut off completely.

A shadow was cast over Eren 's body as the intrusive wing returned. It hadn 't fallen directly in his face this time, flopping further to the side instead. 'Levi, you 're blocking the light! ' Eren complained as he tried to shove the black appendage out of the way. It wasn 't so easy this time, Levi was resisting. He had half a mind to toss the alpha off his head. 'I can 't see what I 'm doing. '

'Oh? ' Levi replied from above, flicking the tip of his wing at 'Eren's cheek. 'That 's a shame. '

Eren felt rather than heard the small chuckle that followed. A sigh of acceptance left his lips, Levi had clearly lost all interest in the activity.

Turquoise eyes shifted to the appendage that insisted on remaining. Reaching out to it, Eren delicately ran his fingertips over the expanse of silky blackness. His hand was warmed by its hotness.

He stopped at the perimeter of the eyespot. The last time he 'd touched it, Levi had growled at him ' but Eren was curious about it, and the alpha seemed to be giving him open access. Fingers hesitantly moved onto crimson red, his touch feather-light over the luminous surface, smooth and glossy. A faint greasiness transferred onto his skin. It didn 't elicit much of a reaction, the only movement being the bob of Levi 's Adams apple as he swallowed. The thick sound made Eren 's ear twitch.

Levi gave a quiet coo of encouragement, although it came out huskier than intended.

Feeling more confident in his explorations, Eren left the eyespot alone and moved to the wings boarder. Running his fingers along it, he discovered that the appendage thinned towards the edges, contributing to their exceptional flexibility he presumed.

The omega paused as he came to a small gap, a tear in Levi 's wing ' the corners of Eren 's mouth pulled into a frown as he examined the damage. It looked like a rip of sorts, triangular in shape, as if a tiny wedge had been cut out of the wing.

With fingertips gingerly tracing the old injury, Eren felt the texture become coarser. Unlike the rest, it didn 't feel like soft velvet. The area was toughened by layers of scar tissue. The brunet released a sad mewl, quiet and questioning, as he tried to look up at Levi. Eye contact was impossible with the way they were positioned, Eren soon found.

'Don 't worry about that, ' Levi said as he retracted his wing, pulling it from Eren 's cradling hands. The inky appendage settled in the air behind him to match up with the other one. 'You 're supposed to be teaching me how to fold the grass. '

Eren 's teeth scraped over his bottom lip, pulling at it as he considered how to respond. He decided to let it go for now, pleased enough that Levi had allowed him to touch somewhere so vulnerable. 'Fold? ' Eren finally said, his voice carrying a playful lilt. 'You obviously you haven 't listened to a word I 've said. '

Humming his confession, Levi lifted himself from the mess of chestnut hair as he stood up. Silver eyes flicked through the surrounding trees. 'Is there anything else you want to do? '

The sudden draft against Eren 's back made his muscles and wings twitch with a short shiver. He tilted his head a few times, enjoying the unrestricted movement. After thinking for a moment, Eren turned to look at Levi over his shoulder. 'Do you like sunsets? '